The educational system known as Individually Guided Education (IGE) will become increasingly important as schools enter a period of retrenchment in the 1980's. Four factors necessary for basic skills achievement can be achieved through the use of IGE: (1) strong leadership by the school principal; (2) time spent in direct instruction by the teacher; (3) high teacher expectations for student performance; and (4) a school-wide emphasis on basic skills instruction. Although it combines interdependent and interrelated curricular components, IGE is a flexible system that has had many local variations since its inception. However, IGE goals of shared decision making, instructional programming, and continuous progress have remained common to IGE practice. Research has found that these conditions are beneficial to the successful application of basic skills instruction. Through the use of IGE principles, a commitment to basic skills goals can be achieved at the school level. (FG)