Pupils at three elementary schools and one junior high school among Area 1 inner-city schools of St. Louis Missouri, were identified as scoring well below norms on standardized tests. An effort to change the educational programs at these schools netted financial support and the creation of Project SHAL (named for the schools involved). Inservice programs for teachers, parents, and others concentrated on the major elements of effective schools (building leadership, high expectations, focus on basic skills, a school climate conducive to learning, and frequent monitoring of pupil progress). In four testing administrations, scores from the California Achievement Tests are compared for Area 1 schools, city schools, and SHAL schools. Students at SHAL schools showed impressive gains in mathematics and good gains in reading when percentages of pupils in various quartiles were compared over time from fall 1980 until spring 1982. Nine tables illustrate the comparisons. (MLF)