The critical components to be considered when establishing a writing center at the secondary level are facilities, staff, and operation. The term writing center is used because writing center is a more inclusive concept than writing lab, dealing not only with remedial work but also with polishing acquired skills and assisting students with particularly challenging assignments. The writing center should be as near to the "mainstream" of the school as possible to attract both students and faculty. An area of the library or media center is an excellent location. The important idea is to make the chosen location unique to writing activities. Besides the use of library tables or carrels (to make the writing center look different from regular classrooms), the only necessary materials are reference books (dictionaries, thesauri, usage guides) and student papers. There are several ways of staffing the writing center, including the use of faculty members across the curriculum, English teachers only, and a combination of faculty and trained peer tutors. The key to the success of a writing center is the individualized attention students receive; so, depending on how much space is available, students should meet individually or in small groups of less than six students. (Examples of limited-service and full-service writing centers are discussed.) (RL)