Unlike the majority of European countries, most schools in the United States don’t introduce foreign language classes until middle school, but the Lawrence school district may be on its way to bucking that trend. The district has included the idea of a foreign language magnet at the elementary level in its list of goals to look into this school year.

The board will consider a foreign language program at one of the east side schools that could take the form of a “special” in addition to music, art and gym, or be an after-school program.

The language magnet is one of the propositions on the district’s preliminary listing of goals for the school year. The list includes six broad areas of improvement, such as student achievement, student wellness, and programs and services. Each goal has anywhere from a few to more than a dozen “action steps,” or specific ways the district plans to work toward each goal.

At its meetings in September, the school board will further discuss and finalize the goals. Until then, below are a few of the more interesting ideas being proposed:

• Enhancing student achievement for all students has a diverse list of 15 action steps. Among them: more personalized teaching strategies, a look into issues facing LGBT students and how to offer support, and expanding the student social media responsibility training to include parents.

• Enhancing student wellness has three action steps: investigate increases in recess time, expand the Farm to School school garden program and develop outdoor learning environments. No specifics on what an outdoor learning environment might entail, but the idea is to tie it into students’ classroom curriculum, and I’m guessing it could be something like the restored prairie at Free State High School.

• One of the four steps for improving programs and services is to ensure equal access to technology for students, both at school and at home. Potential plans to do so include portable hot spots, devices for checkout and keeping school libraries open after hours.

I’ll be following these and other developments in the district as things move along. The next school board meeting will be at 7 p.m. Sept. 14 at the district’s Educational Support and Distribution Center, 110 McDonald Drive.