A survey of school administrators and educational researchers concerning the characteristics desired in elementary school language teachers resulted in rankings of personal qualities, pedagogical skills, and linguistic skills preferred for teachers of three program types: foreign language in the elementary school (FLES), foreign language exploration (FLEX), and immersion. The results suggest that administrators wish to hire candidates giving the impression of being good teachers, while the pool of qualified teachers for the demand is effectively shrinking. Many respondents were uncomfortable, in principle, about making compromises in teacher quality, but many also indicated willingness to compromise in a given skill area with the intent of providing on-the-job training or other later remedy. Most felt that certification was a desirable way of improving language teacher perfomance, but some thought it unnecessary. Most supported establishing competency requirements for improving language teacher preparation, and a majority wanted teachers involved in the process of setting standards. The researcher stated that the language teaching profession must work to reduce factionalism, especially concerning reform, and take initiative to train professionals in language instruction for young children. (MSE)