This paper discusses steps that high school foreign language teachers can take to select appropriate textbooks for their classes. Teachers should: (1) determine their department's philosophy; (2) look at their students' needs; (3) ask department members for suggestions; (4) review school district guidelines; (5) examine as many textbooks as…

The content of the 1988 Bilingual Education Act, which is part of Public Law 100-297 (the Hawkins/Stafford Elementary and Secondary School Improvement Amendments) and which reauthorized bilingual education through September 30, 1993, is examined. The 1988 reauthorization was the fourth reauthorization of the original Bilingual Education Act of…

The guide is designed to help school district planners develop and implement suitable foreign language curricula. Focusing on programs in grades K-12, it provides an overview of current philosophies, objectives, methods, and materials in foreign language education; illustrates how these may be implemented in a sequential foreign language program…

The Austin Independent School District developed a proposal for Chapter 2-Discretionary funds to be used to offer enrichment and supplemental instruction at 12 schools experiencing significant losses of students resulting in low enrollment, racial balances with lower than expected Anglo percentages, and under-utilized building space. Eight schools…

The report presents an analysis of the foreign language preparation of first-time undergraduate students at the University of Maryland College Park (UMCP). Basic areas of interest addressed included: the percentage of first-time students with either at least 2 or at least 3 years of preparation in a single foreign language in high school; how the…

The stories in this collection result from a class activity in an English-as-a-Second-Language course at Prague Institute of Chemical Technology (Czechoslovakia). The students, most in their third or fourth year of postsecondary education, had all studied English previously but primarily as an academic exercise, and had had little contact with…

This annotated bibliography lists instructional materials for elementary school German language programs. The materials listed include instructional aids, social studies books, science books, dictionaries, songbooks/cassettes, games, posters, magazines, and library books. A list of addresses for publishers of German materials is included. (JL)

A review of prevailing patterns of sponsorship of college and university English as a second language (ESL) programs indicates that in community colleges, they tend to be housed in English departments. In four-year institutions they are generally in semi-autonomous units or institutes. The argument for departmental sponsorship is based on data…

The speaking skills of grade 8 students in a core French program in Ottawa were compared with the skills of grade 6 students enrolled in the core program. A total of 337 grade 8 students were given a French speaking test. Two-hundred and nine students had taken the test in grade 6. In general, the grade 8 students seemed prepared to express basic…

A study investigated the rationale of and procedures for gathering data on foreign language programs in secondary schools in Tennessee. The study transcends previous foreign language surveys by suggesting a method of presenting data in a useful format by analyzing foreign language support (FLSPT) in terms of quantifiable factors or "favorable…

While foreign language instruction for elementary school children is gaining attention, poor articulation is a problem that has become more complex because of the variety of foreign language program models being developed. Five main types are in use: total immersion, partial immersion, foreign languages in the elementary school (FLES),…

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…

Advanced level French syllabuses of the nine GCE Boards in the United Kingdom are examined. The Southern Universities Joint Board has recently introduced the most radical innovations. As an alternative to its traditional examination it offers Syllabus "B" which dispenses with prescribed tests, but where each student must produce for the…

THE FIRST PART OF THIS CURRICULUM GUIDE FOR SUPERVISORS AND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS OF ITALIAN IS DEVOTED TO AN EXPLANATION OF THE PHILOSOPHY, OBJECTIVES, COURSE CONTENT, AND METHODS OF TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGES IN THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. IN THE SECOND PART, THE TOPICS TO BE TAUGHT ARE DEVELOPED IN DETAIL. EACH TOPIC FOR THE FIRST, SECOND, AND…