To be successful, a vocabulary improvement program should teach vocabulary directly but in a meaningful context, involve teachers and use vocabulary from all content areas, and represent a long term commitment. Strategies promoting an effective program include the following: (1) teaching word consciousness, (2) using materials at students' instructional levels to help develop reading vocabulary, (3) presenting contextual analysis as a tool in reading comprehension, (4) studying word etymology, (5) teaching structural analysis, (6) using synonyms and antonyms to help students learn word meaning through association, (7) increasing students' awareness of words with multiple meanings, (8) building awareness of symbols, abbreviations, and acronyms to help increase comprehension, (9) pointing out the use and misuse of figurative language, (10) using structured overviews of text chapters to help clarify the relationships among words and concepts, (11) encouraging students to find new words in print, and (12) providing specific instruction in the use of specialized vocabulary. School-wide commitment to vocabulary development allows students to make lasting gains in receptive, productive, technical, and nontechnical vocabularies. (MM)