This memorandum is the first report on the activities of the School Environment Study, a research, development, and dissemination program focused on open-space schools. The program has as its goals to (1) gather and coordinate basic data about the characteristics of open-space schools; (2) study the effects of varying space arrangements on student and teacher performance, perceptions, and attitudes; (3) develop methods and instruments to be used in conducting assessments of the school environment; and (4) develop guidelines and strategies to help promote effective space utilization. This document, designed to shed additional light on some common questions, reports on recent trends in open space development and presents data on the effects of open space on the attitudes and behavior of students and teachers. A related document is EA 003 896. (Author/MLF)