The Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE) has prepared this report on the Newark Public Schools (NPS) for the Merck Institute for Science Education (MISE) to assist them with the development of a strategic plan for improving science education in the district. The data used in the report have been gathered and analyzed through the collaborative efforts of CPRE, MISE, and Horizon Research, Inc. (HRI). MISE and CPRE collaborated on two rounds of school site visits; CPRE conducted interviews with district officials; MISE staff analyzed Newark's curriculum documents and administered a survey of Newark teachers and administrators; and HRI reviewed a sample of interim science assessments developed by the NPS staff. Most of this work has been done under considerable time pressure and we want to thank all of those who contributed to this report. The authors believe that the report presents a rich and detailed portrait of science instruction in Newark. Appended are: (1) Definition of the School Quality Indicators; (2) Definition of the Classroom Quality Indicators; (3) Classroom Observation Protocol; (4) The MISE Teacher Survey; (5) School Vignettes; (6) The MISE Review of the NPS Curriculum Documents; and (7) HRI Review of the Interim Assessments. (Contains 12 tables and 21 footnotes.) [Funding for this paper was provided by the Merck Institute for Science Education (MISE).]