In 1988, the Jefferson County Public Schools, in Louisville (Kentucky), received an initial planning grant from the Program for Student Achievement of the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation to focus on three "highs" in education--high content, high expectations, and high support. The school district chose three middle schools to participate in this reform project due to their large populations of disadvantaged youth. These schools extended this "high" concept to include high involvement and high energy and adopted the High-Five logo as a visible reminder to staff and students. During the grant period, the Kentucky legislature enacted the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA). The staff of the project schools found that their reform efforts closely aligned with the KERA objectives, and this alignment gave them an advantage in meeting the KERA expectations. Progress toward the High-Five goals and the KERA mandates is detailed. Evaluation of the efforts at the three schools has demonstrated the importance of staff development and the need for more programs and activities that focus on practical and real life experiences for students and teachers. A number of instructional strategies and processes were found to support project goals. Increasing numbers of teachers are becoming devoted to program ideals and goals. Two graphs and 25 tables illustrate program achievements. (SLD)