Investigators from seven universities and the National Training Laboratories cooperated in a research project to help 15 school systems improve their effectiveness. Utilizing questionnaire response data from approximately 5,000 adults and 6,000 fifth and 11th grade students, the project analyzed problems of planned change in schools, evaluated the results of several strategies of planned change, formulated a set of variables relevant to understanding the operation of a school system, developed instruments for measuring each variable, and determined a concept of organizational self-renewal. Each of the four centers in which the investigators worked formulated and applied a specific strategy of planned change in two or more school systems. A number of case studies are reported, based on detailed documentation and on reports prepared by special observers. One case study outlines the development of the interuniversity consortium which conducted the study. Examples of materials used in the study are appended. Related documents are ED 012 511-515 and ED 013 486. (Author/JK)