This publication presents the foreign language profession's consensus on selected topics and is designed to address areas of interest to instructional leaders and practitioners who are concerned with developing and maintaining effective second language programs. The topics are grouped into four sections: "Preparing for the Future,""Sharing Responsibilities,""Building for Better Content and Approach," and "Developing a Texas Plan." Some specific considerations are: (1) competency-based education, funding sources, second language requirements, rationales and objectives, and promotion of language study; (2) global education, language study for special purposes, bilingual education and English as a Second Language, career education, and humanities; (3) professional preparation and growth, teaching methods and instructional resources, communicative competence, individualized instruction, the position of Spanish in Texas, student and teacher evaluation, and beyond the second language classroom; and (4) flexible curriculum, sequential and nonsequential offerings, second languages on each level of education, and program evaluation. (AMH)