Language arts teaching is supposed to be based on the principle of starting where the child is and communicating to him through channels which he has at that point, in language which is familiar to him, and with illustrative concepts with which he is familiar. Beginning materials in this area, however, have made only minor strides to this goal and these strides are not yet based on a theory of the relationship between oral and written language. As a partial solution to this problem: (1) Textbook writers should provide beginning reading materials which use the syntax of the child's oral language and avoid ambiguity and rapid shifts in tense or viewpoint. (2) Teachers should recognize a hierarchy of importance in children's reading and speaking errors. The child's errors in learning standard English should not be confused with his errors in learning to read. (3) Administrators should assess the classroom teaching situation to decide if the schools are putting restrictions on the normal use of oral language. They should also devote greater attention to matters of content in the curriculum. (4) Researchers should study the process of acquiring standard English. A "new language arts" is needed--one coordinated with a complete overhaul in the objectives of education. It will put considerable emphasis on self-instruction; it will stress the innate abilities of its students; it will be problem oriented; and it will encourage self-knowledge. (JD)