Thisreport reviews thestatusandresults of Latin instruction in the elementary grades (FLES Latin). Since the flurry of interest in this topicprograms, such as those in Washington, DC, Philadelphia, Indianapolis, and Los Angeles, were instituted in innercity schools to help the lowest-achieving pupils in grades 4 through 6. Others were begun in areas of higher socioeconomic status, leading to estimates of FLES Latin in over 100 communities in the U. S. (19). The methods and materials were new, based on modem linguistic theory and typified by an oral-aural approach, programmed instruction, multisensory media, and attention to the affective domain. Usudly instruction was offered by itinerant Latin teachers as part of the language arts segment (6,52).What has been most interesting about these FLES programs is their results. %pically 15-20 minutes of daily instruction in Latin has resulted in targeted students achieving from five months to a full year's growth more than matched control groups who had no Latin, according to reading and vocabulary subtests of widelyused standardized tests (43,44). In Washington, sixthgraders who took Latin for one year and who had been unable to begin the study of French or Spanish two years earlier because they were not reading at grade level came from behind to achieve significantly higher reading achievement scores in the categories of vocabulary, comprehension, and total reading ability" (16). In Indianapolis, the Latin group showed seven to nine month gains over the control group in math computation, math concepts, and math problem solving. Other advantages of the Latin programs. as shown on the rating scales and questionnaires, were improvement in students' self-image, motivation, and selfreliance; students' development of a better understanding of others; and wide acceptance by pupils, parents, administrators, and teachers (6,44,52).
