An overall evaluation of the Basic and Pilot Grants Programs, two closely related programs authorized under the Emergency School Aid Act (ESAA), and an in-depth study designed to identify specific program approaches associated with project success were conducted. Data were collected over a period of three school years: 1973-74, 1974-75, and 1975-76. The overall evaluation involved national samples of schools with Basic and Pilot projects; and the in-depth study involved a subset of those projects. For the overall evaluation, comparable student, program, and outcome data in both ESAA-funded and non-ESAA schools were collected along with data on district, school, and program characteristics, student achievement, and background characteristics of students and school personnel. The in-depth study, conducted during the second and third years of the overall evaluation, involved intensive classroom observations and staff interviews. This report provides an overview of the evaluation design and results for all three years, emphasizing the similarities and differences in the findings across years. Findings included: all three years, dollars were targeted toward needy school districts, schools, and students, and translated into services directed toward students with needs for such services; strength of administrative leadership was a major factor in the schools' ability to improve student achievement; in general, achievement gains tended to be larger in schools with greater resource availability and utilization. (NQ)