Effective instructional management processes come in many guises, but all share four essential components: (1) a set of educational goals toward which progress can be measured; (2) a means of assessing students' instructional needs and determining placement and grouping; (3) an organizational structure and instructional delivery process capable of providing alternatives and flexible uses of resources; and (4) a method for monitoring progress toward goals. This handbook discusses these components and their implications for effective education and suggests the procedures by which school districts can implement them. Among the specific topics addressed are (1) planning, including selecting planners, ensuring commitment to systematic planning, and establishing agreement on definitions, philosophies, and direction; (2) assessing and prioritizing instructional needs in such areas as school climate, management practices, and instructional subject areas, and setting goals to meet them; (3) obtaining effective leadership from administrators, staff members, teachers, and parents; (4) teaching effectively within an instructional management framework; (5) evaluating the program, its application, and its results; and (6) working toward consensus concerning the purposes of education. Throughtout the book, the experiences of several school districts using instructional management serve as illustrations or provide models for reader consideration. (PGD)