An attempt to identify methods of human resource management that emerge as schools and classrooms become more effective, this literature review emphasizes the importance of administrator "support functions," which include feedback to teachers, monitoring of teacher and student performance, incentives for teachers, and visible commitment to change. A brief introductory section describes current research findings on the actual situation in schools today, with a focus on factors serving as potential barriers to educational change. Next, the literature on educational change and the implementation of educational innovations, such as Project Follow Through, is critically reviewed. A third section looks at the literature on effective schools, especially those in low-income areas, and instructional leadership. A synthesis of these findings leads to the concept of support functions, which is explained in some detail. The authors emphasize that these functions can be performed by a principal, supervisor, change agent, or other administrator. The final section offers a conceptual model for looking at and measuring some critical aspects of implementation attempts in core curriculum areas. A concluding brief description of a case study shows how the concept of support functions can lead to potentially fruitful analyses and empirical investigations of change. (Author/JM)