A survey was conducted of schools in 15 states to provide a comprehensive view of the status of speech communication in secondary schools and to compare the current status to that found in earlier surveys. Of the 4,341 schools responding to the survey, 76% indicated that they offered a speech course and of these, 32% indicated that they required…

Describes results of surveys of secondary school speech curricula, teacher preparation, and experience in 15 states. Major focus of speech programs continues to be public speaking; theater continues to be the most frequent extracurricular offering. (PD)

Although basic guidelines for speech curricula have been articulated in a variety of elementary and secondary texts and conferences, reform of these curricula is overdue. Among many deficiencies, the following eight are evident but may be remedied: (1) the lack of articulation and coordination at the various levels; (2) the absence of meaningful…