A wide variety of low cost, innovative, and successful school improvement activities have been initiated at both state and local levels in the past few years. This document highlights many of the state-level activities by presenting the results of a 50-state survey conducted in May and June 1982. Two tables provide a brief overview, followed by short sections that describe the activities in each state. These diverse strategies share three general characteristics: (1) the school is the unit of educational improvement; (2) clear academic goals are focused on the basic skills, and the instructional program is directly related to those goals; and (3) student-level data are used for individual feedback to students and for modification of the instructional program. Frequently cited strategies include improving the capabilities of teachers and administrators; dissemination/adoption assistance; incorporation of the effective teaching and effective schools research into the substance of a state's improvement efforts; and provision of technical assistance from state education departments, usually through regional or intermediate service units. (Author/MLF)