The concept of "opportunity to learn" (OTL) strategies was first introduced several decades ago and was defined by a narrow set of instructional components. Since then, many additional criteria have been incorporated into the OTL concept, some specifically to ensure an equal education for disadvantaged and minority students. The original purpose of OTL measures was simply to describe aspects of the education process. Since then, they have been used to indicate overall educational quality and the availability and use of educational resources. The Hawkins-Stafford Education Amendments of 1988 mandated the development of OTL indicators to measure the effectiveness of federally-funded educational programs. Evaluating a school's OTL can provide information about whether the school has adequate resources, uses them effectively, and provides equal educational access. Although school reform programs vary in their commitment to OTL standards, OTL strategies can be implemented fairly easily in the following areas: (1) access to courses; (2) curriculum; (3) time factors; (4) teacher competence; (5) school resources; (6) school environment and culture; and (7) ancillary services. (Contains 12 references.) (SLD)