A report is presented of work in syllabus construction and language planning in Finland from the middle of the 1960s to the present. An introductory chapter describes Finland's parallel educational systems, which provide for speakers of the two official languages, Finnish and Swedish, and for instruction in the other national language as well as…

The foreign language program in the Edison, New Jersey public schools is described. The exemplary features of this program are: (1) It is not limited to college-bound students, (2) a significant provision is made for program advocacy, and (3) there are full four- and six-year sequences in French, Spanish, and German. (PMJ)

The report evaluates the Australian Second Language Learning Program, intended to promote introduction and expansion of second language learning in Australian elementary and secondary schools. The assessment was conducted after 2 years of the 4-year program development phase. The report consists of an executive summary and three main parts,…

A discussion of foreign languages in elementary schools (FLES) includes both historical and current overviews of FLES in the United States and makes recommendations for development of FLES programs. The historical review looks at program design and methods during the 1950s and 1960s and the successes and failures of program types and approaches.…

A 1996-97 survey of 1,534 elementary and 1,650 secondary schools across the United States, both public and private, investigated current patterns in foreign language enrollment, languages and programs offered, curriculum design and content, teaching methods, teacher qualifications and training, and response to national reform issues. The study was…

This study of the importance of second language and international studies in Illinois in relation to the interests of the state covers the following topics: the importance of second language and international studies, characteristics of effective programs in second language and international studies, the status of those studies in Illinois, and…

The Des Moines (Iowa) Public Schools foreign language program for K-12 is described and evaluated. The evaluation report focuses on six areas, including: (1) school district mission and philosophy of foreign language instruction; (2) context (state policies and standards, foreign language program overview and enrollment, fiber-optic communication…