THIS STUDY WAS AN EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECTS OF AN ENRICHMENT PROGRAM ON A SELECTED GROUP OF FIRST GRADERS. ITS PURPOSE WAS TO DETERMINE WHETHER CHILDREN EXPERIENCING THE EXPERIMENTAL CONDITIONS SHOWED GREATER GROWTH IN INTELLIGENCE AND ACHIEVEMENT AND GREATER USE OF FUNCTIONAL LANGUAGE THAN A CONTROL GROUP AT THE END OF ONE SCHOOL YEAR. AN ADDITIONAL OBJECTIVE WAS THE ANALYSIS OF ORAL LANGUAGE WITH REFERENCE TO STRUCTURAL PATTERN, VOCABULARY, AND FLUENCY. THE SUBJECTS WERE 141 FIRST GRADERS IN TWO PHILADELPHIA SCHOOLS, BOTH OF WHICH WERE LOCATED IN LOW SOCIOECONOMIC AREAS. ONE-HALF OF THE CHILDREN RECEIVED A SUPPLEMENTARY ENRICHMENT PROGRAM AND THE REMAINDER, AT ANOTHER SCHOOL, SERVED AS A CONTROL. THE INDEPENDENT VARIABLE WAS THE MULTISENSORY COMPENSATORY EDUCATION PROGRAM TO FACILITATE GROWTH IN CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTERED 2 HOURS WEEKLY TO THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP AS A SUPPLEMENT TO CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION. THE AUTHOR CONCLUDED THAT THE COMPENSATORY EDUCATION TREATMENT (1) DID NOT PRODUCE GREATER GROWTH IN INTELLIGENCE, WORD KNOWLEDGE SKILLS, OR WORD DISCRIMINATION SKILLS, (2) DID NOT AFFECT USE OF FUNCTIONAL LANGUAGE, AND (3) DID NOT PRODUCE A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN ARITHMETIC SKILLS. IN ADDITION, IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT READING ABILITY WAS SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECTED BY MENTAL ABILITY, TREATMENT, AND THE INTERACTION OF THESE TWO VARIABLES. (AL)