This proposal is for a pilot project that applies the best features of private schools to the racially diverse, urban, public elementary schools of Minneapolis (Minnesota). The following features are outlined: (1) classrooms will have a 14:1 student-teacher ratio; (2) all supplemental and compensatory programs will be eliminated; (3) 198 students will be selected to reflect the district population in terms of race, socioeconomic status, academic level, and special needs; (4) teachers will be selected to reflect the profile of the district teaching staff; (5) teachers will be accountable for all outcomes; (6) the principal will use a joint decision-making model in which teachers make decisions and exercise authority, and the principal creates the conditions under which the teachers develop and exercise leadership; (7) information on student and staff success will be clearly communicated to all parties in a timely manner and teachers will be expected to communicate with parents after school hours; (8) improved student performance will be the criterion for program evaluation. The following evaluation criteria will be used: (1) 75 percent of the students will demonstrate at least 14 months of growth in both reading and mathematics as measured by the California Achievement Test; (2) telephone logs kept by teachers and the school office will indicate that 90 percent of calls from parents were directed to the home of the student's teacher rather than to the principal or office staff; (3) 90 percent of the students will pass the district's Benchmark Tests on the first attempt; (4) the parents of every student will confer at least twice with the student's teacher and 95 percent of the parents will be satisfied with the frequency and clarity of progress reports; and (5) the overall student attendance rate will be 95 percent. Three-year cost estimates are included. (FMW)