This theme issue includes four articles on schoolwide approaches to educational equity and improvement. "Schoolwide Projects: A Challenge for Administrators on Campuses with LEP Students" (Abelardo Villarreal) synthesizes the literature on schoolwide reform strategies used in schools that have been successful with limited-English-proficient (LEP) students. Four indicators central to these schools' effectiveness with LEP students are rigorous standards; flexible, high quality curriculum; coordinated federal resources; and goals and results orientation. "A Different Kind of Will: Educational Equity and the School Reform Movement" (Bradley Scott) reviews research findings about four types of school practices that discriminate against disadvantaged students, examines policy options to eliminate barriers and assure educational equity, discusses elements of the Improving America's Schools Act of 1994 and Goals 2000: Educate America Act that promote equitable outcomes, and lists questions to use in assessing program equity. "IDRA's Project FLAIR: Professional Development Model Addresses Literacy Development from a Schoolwide Perspective" (Rogelio Lopez del Bosque) describes Project FLAIR (Focusing on Language and Academic Instructional Renewal), which provides professional development training and other support for school-based development of an intensive schoolwide language-across-the-curriculum program. "The Whole School, the Whole Child" is an interview with Elfida Gutierrez, principal of Hueco Elementary School (El Paso, Texas), who discusses schoolwide improvement in classroom practices and assessment. Contains references. This issue also contains the cumulative index for the IDRA Newsletter for January 1996-December 1996. (SV)