Concerned with the sharp decline of students in French language classes in recent years, the present study examined a set of intra-school factors that might be related to the decline. Altogether 85 French language teachers and 78 principals at elementary and secondary levels in 14 school divisions in Southwestern Manitoba participated in the survey. It was found that a notable proportion of teachers were inadequately prepared professionally. Their methods of teaching have not been diversified enough to accommodate students' capabilities or interests, and they were unfamiliar with new concepts of organizing materials. A considerable proportion of principals showed lack of enthusiasm for bilingual education. Limited school resources in many cases added to the difficulty of developing a better French language program. At another level, it was found that the quality of the program was much the result of priorities and policies of the school board concerned. (Author)