This booklet offers strategies for leading small groups as they investigate the status of school reform. The tools described were used in the collection of information from focus groups in New York, Massachusetts, and Vermont. Some of the groups were comprised of school practitioners, while others were made up of providers of support to schools, such as professional developers and professors in teacher-preparation colleges. A conscious effort was made to include people who occupy different places in the systems that link state policy to the classroom. Members of each group were brought together to reflect on the reforms taking place and on the systems that support or could support those reforms. To facilitate these meetings, groups of 8-15 people were asked to focus quickly and thoughtfully on each of 3 areas. Some of the topics include the roles assumed by the state department of education in leading reform, philosophies of reform and change reflected in state education department strategies, state department of education relationships with other facets of the education system, and the reception of reform initiatives in the field. The tools used for each group are outlined and include information about their use, key features, and suggestions for adaptation. (RJM)