A renovation of the English curriculum in Hartford's secondary schools is in progress, focusing on an analysis and synthesis of two elements comprising the legitimate concerns of English--that which deals with language itself (i.e., spelling and grammar), and that which involves language activities (i.e., reading and composition). Geared to slow learners, the objectives of the program are (1) to improve reading skill, and, more important, cultivate the desire to read through classroom libraries and the students' creation of reading materials; (2) to teach standard English "not as a substitute for the student's own language, but as an alternative for him to use when appropriate"; (3) to teach reluctant readers to express themselves freely through the use of aural-oral drills and informal student journals; (4) to teach literature in the last 2 years of high school within the context of a general humanities program whose purpose is to humanize and to transform the student from an observer to an active participant. (MF)