Current attempts to identify and quantify different variables relating to school performance are surveyed. The "input-process-output" model is examined through an overview of major studies, such as Project Talent and the Coleman Report, and others generally supportive of this approach. The limitations of this research are suggested as: inadequacy of the definition and measurement of the concept of school performance; inadequate definition and measurement of the correlates of school performance; inadequate statistical methods; scarcity of school-by-school data; lack of longitudinal data; and lack of integration of research resources. The report concludes that the paradigm has aided in the understanding of four things about our formal school processes: (1) they are fundamentally influenced by the children who participate in them and the environment in which they operate; (2) they are additionally influenced by the levels at which they are supported; (3) the effects of resources are largely mediated through the professional staff; and (4) they operate in complex, interrelated, and arcane fashion. A bibliography is included. See TM 000 324, TM 000 345-6, and TM 000 348-9. (AE)