As communication/English curricula pass from a period of great diversity to one of greater centrality, educators need to find a more reasoned direction to guide curricular decision making. Many of the current reports on the state of education refer to the importance of oral communication skills, but such skills have not received their rightful status at the high school level. Speech is considered a minor part of the language arts rather than a distinct or separate unit. Some college admissions standards do not include certain oral communications courses. Fortunately, many local boards of education believe oral communication belongs among the curricula, despite economic difficulties. To enhance the role of speech in the schools, speech and English faculty can (1) continue to work with sequencing the oral communication skills and with precise measurements; (2) emphasize those skills that help make speech communication vital for students' future; (3) work to relate the skills in the areas of speech, English, and language arts directly to developing curricula; and (4) teach with excellence. (HTH)