The author describes the structure and methodology of "educational criticism" and provides excerpts from a study done in a high school art history class. Educational criticism is based on lengthy classroom observations and describes, interprets, and evaluates classroom life. The educational critic must be knowledgeable about classrooms and the subject matter and must be able to compare what she observes with other educational possibilities. The first stage, field observation, combines formal and informal methods which include direct classroom participation and observation, interviewing, document analysis, and systematic counting. The second stage consists of writing the criticism, which includes description, interpretation, and evaluation, judgment, or assessment. Description, the major part of the documentation, includes setting and events of typical days and reflects changes which occurred in the classroom. Interpretation, which focuses on the whole and on parts of the observation, is based on educational and social science theories. The evaluation stage answers the questions "Was it done well?" and "Was it worth doing?" Prescription, or "How could it be done better?" may also be included. (Author/KC)