The thesis of this paper is that all children, excepting those of certifiable handicap, are educable, and the behavior of the school is critical in determining the quality of that education. Concentrating on several innercity schools in Detroit, this paper discusses the distinguishing characteristics of schools that are instructionally effective for poor children. The emphasis is on alternative approaches to desegregation that could be successful in improving the quality of instruction available to desegregated pupils. Other studies done on institutional effectiveness are referred to and analyzed in terms of their strengths and weaknesses. The performance levels of students in different schools on verbal achievement tests are used as the criteria for analyzing the effectiveness of different schools. Taken into consideration are race and home background of the student sample groups. Findings concerning the influence of teacher attitudes and characteristics, school characteristics, curriculum, and school affluence are presented. (Author/EB)