The Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) is an integrated study of public and private schools, school districts, principals, and teachers. The survey was first conducted in the 1987-88 school year, again in 1990-91, and will be repeated at 3-year intervals. The 1987-88 sample consisted of 56,000 teachers in 9,300 public schools and 11,000 teachers in 3,500 private schools. This report presents results from the original survey and the follow-up of 1988-89. Information on schools, school districts, principals, and teachers is presented in the context of school characteristics. Each table provides data disaggregated within the public and private sectors by community type, school level, school size, and percent minority enrollment. The report enables local educators and policy makers to reflect on how conditions in their schools compare with national data for similar types of schools. Forty-one figures illustrate the discussion, and data are presented in 54 tables. An appendix of selected standard errors is included. (Author/SLD)