This manual invites California's educators and residents to join in planning and implementing changes that will improve elementary schooling. Chapters cover: (1) the processes of planning and implementing change; (2) quality criteria for elementary schools; (3) the program quality review process; (4) practice exercises and scenarios; (5) exercises concerning special needs programs and regulations on parent involvement programing; and (6) training resources. Four stages of the program quality review process are discussed: preparing, reviewing, reporting, and revising. The quality criteria included in the handbook concern language arts, mathematics, science, history and social science, visual and performing arts, physical education, schoolwide effectiveness of instructional programs, special needs, the learning environment, staff development, leadership, as and program planning, implementing, and evaluating. The criteria are syntheses of the California State Department of Education's major curricular and schoolwide standards. The manual includes lists of effective and ineffective program characteristics and exemplars in several curriculum areas, training resources for program quality review, and sample reports of review findings. (RH)