This position paper states that it is the responsibility of Pennsylvania's Department of Education to make foreign language (FL) study part of the core curriculum and to develop well-articulated programs that make mastery of a foreign language possible for every student, in order to prepare him to meet the challenge of today's complex society. In summarizing the value of FL study for today's student, the following recommendations are made: (1) FL study is best begun in elementary grades, via audiolingual methods; (2) English as a Second Language should be included in the curriculum for non-English-speaking children; (3) bilingual education should be included in the curriculum where one language or dialect group is sufficiently represented; and (4) non-Western as well as Western languages should be considered for inclusion. The second part of the paper presents a continuum and evaluative criteria intended to help school districts plan, implement, and evaluate their FL programs, from Kindergarten through Grade 12. (AM)