There is a growing body of credible evidence that successful efforts can be made to improve the quality of secondary education despite cutbacks in educational resources. Such efforts are demanded by the current conservative public attitude toward education, as exemplified by movements for tax and spending limitations and for the return to educational basics. This document briefly characterizes recent critical studies of secondary education that now serve as the foundation for reform efforts, and notes significant major studies currently under way. The report then classifies the findings and recommendations of these studies under three major headings: those calling for basic changes in society, those requiring fundamental structural changes in the organization and operation of secondary schools, and those suggesting changes that can be made within the present school framework. The author notes that many of these proposals are impractical, few address the political issues involved, and only rarely do they recognize the cutbacks in available funding. Before summarizing, the report lists several directions in which educational quality can be pursued without additional funding: refining educational goals, restricting efforts on low priority activities, focusing the academic curriculum, adopting direct instruction practices, and increasing student time on task. (Author/PGD)