THE BASIC CONCEPTS USED IN DEVELOPING THE LANGUAGE AND READING EDUCATION PROGRAM WERE--(1) ALL HUMAN ORGANISMS ARE ESSENTIALLY ALIKE AND THEREFORE MAN'S BASIC NEEDS ARE THE SAME, (2) FUNDAMENTAL LIKENESSES EXIST IN ALL CULTURES, (3) CHILDREN FIRST INTRODUCED TO THE DIMENSIONS OF THEIR OWN CULTURE ARE READY TO MOVE TOWARD UNDERSTANDING THE OTHER CULTURES, AND (4) LANGUAGE IS A SPECIAL WAY OF LOOKING AT THE WORK AND COMMUNICATING THIS WORLD TO OTHERS. MATERIALS FOR THIS PROGRAM ARE TO BE ESPECIALLY DESIGNED TO ATTACK THE LANGUAGE PROBLEMS OF LINGUISTICALLY HANDICAPPED CHILDREN OF THE SOUTHWEST. BY FOCUSING ATTENTION ON SPECIFIC GROUPS WHO SUFFER THE MOST IN TERMS OF LANGUAGE DEPRIVATION, IT HAS BEEN POSSIBLE TO IDENTIFY THE LINGUISTIC CHARACTERISTICS WHICH CAUSE LEARNING DIFFICULTIES. IN ORDER TO EVALUATE THIS PROGRAM, THE FOLLOWING AREAS ARE PROPOSED AS BASES FOR FORMULATING HYPOTHESES WHICH WILL BE TESTED LATER--(1) PRIMACY OF ORAL LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT, (2) MEANINGFUL CONTENT, (3) LANGUAGE SKILLS, AND (4) CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING. THIS SPEECH WAS DELIVERED AT A WORKING CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH AND ACTIVITY IN THE LANGUAGE ARTS FOR THE PRE-PRIMARY/PRIMARY CULTURALLY DIVERSE NON-ENGLISH SPEAKING CHILD, ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO, JUNE 4-6, 1967. (ES)