The Mesa School District (Arizona) "Incentives Only" Project--carried out via a performance contract with the U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity in 1970-71 through the Mesa Education Association (MEA)--is described in terms of rationale for the use of incentives, background, program procedures, the incentives model, the delivery system, evaluation (including student and teacher reactions to the project), and general conclusions. Specific project goals, as developed by the MEA, were (1) to participate in research to determine if the use of student and teacher incentives can accelerate achievement in reading and mathematics for disadvantaged students, (2) to engender in the student the desire to learn for the sake of learning (knowledge becomes the incentive), and (3) to functionalize the MEA's involvement in process and decision-making which affects the education of children. Experimental- and control-group students in grades 1-3 and 7-9 at project schools were selected to participate on the basis of 2 criteria: low achievement and low family income. It was concluded that the notion of attacking educational problems through national research is valid and desirable; funding sources must allow researchers to be more realistic in their goals; and the use of incentives did not accelerate achievement for disadvantaged students as per the guaranteed achievement gains of .8 months in the basic skills. (PS)