The Center for Excellence in Education at Northern Arizona University has learned a great deal from the past 5 years of research and evaluation of 15 pilot-test school districts, as they endeavor to restructure and make positive changes. The purpose of the reform movement is to provide adequate incentives for recruitment, retention, and motivation of high-quality professionals and to improve student learning. This extensive study has found an extreme diversity in the readiness and ability of school districts to reform and improve. The studies have identified several important factors impacting upon each organization from the outside (school boards and legislative policy) and from within (organizational climate, communication, teacher evaluation, and curriculum). These interrelated components directly affect productivity and must be integrated and operating in a positive way to influence teacher development and student learning. Organizations that have done an assessment based on key components and redesigned operations to focus on the instructional program have improved teacher attitudes, skills, and leadership activities and dramatically increased student achievement. Those systems which have accomplished total organizational development and integration are now appropriately rewarding professionals on the basis of performance (tied to student learning), rather than solely on years of experience. (Author)