With Chile's return to democracy in 1990, evidence of serious deficiencies in quality and equity in Chilean schools prompted the Ministry of Education to design and implement the 900 Schools Programme, a reform measure to improve the quality of primary education in the country's impoverished areas. The guiding principles of the program are positive discrimination (affirmative action), equity, professionalization of teachers, and the interaction of school culture with community culture. The program consists of: (1) learning workshops for third- and fourth-graders conducted by trained older students; (2) inservice workshops for teachers; (3) preparation of workbooks and manuals for students and teacher; (4) the creation of classroom libraries; and (5) the improvement of school buildings and grounds. The program has led to increased teacher professionalization, improvement in student morale, improvement in language arts and mathematics achievement, and improvements in school facilities, which in turn has contributed to a better educational environment and sense of pride in education in impoverished areas. (Two appendixes outline actions undertaken for language skills training and list educational materials developed for the program.) (MDM)