Designed to help school administrators and board members promote instructional excellence, this publication reports survey results involving over 35 school districts in Northern California, Utah, and Nevada engaged in instructional improvement efforts. Specifically, the report describes alternative strategies used to organize and manage three important instructional functions--curriculum, staff development, and supervision and evaluation. The first chapter considers issues related to managing and implementing new curricula. Curriculum reforms are not accomplished without conflict and resistance, often partially resolved by teacher and principal turnover. To "sell" the reforms requires staff education and training and a cautious implementation approach. Chapter 2 discusses issues and concerns related to staff-driven and standardized staff development programs. One difficulty, besides scarce resources, is the determination of the districts to separate development and evaluation functions. The third chapter treats evaluation and supervision, focusing on two major areas: testing programs and supervision and evaluation procedures. The report recommends careful development of criterion-referenced tests and thorough training of staff members using them. Problems with testing programs and supervision and evaluation systems are thoroughly discussed. Administrators' tendency to rely on formative, rather than summative, evaluation is noted. Appended is a directory of participating school districts. (MLH)