Although the two countries differ vastly in wealth and resources, Cuba was selected as the second subject in this comparative study of the American effective schools movement and a socialist educational system because of: (1) the successes of the Cuban literacy campaign; and (2) similarities between the racial composition of the two countries. In the first part of the book the newest major studies dealing with the effective schools movement are reviewed and a range of minor studies and reports are collected and analyzed. The record of American public schools for the urban poor in the past century and the recent effective schools movement are investigated and critiqued. In the second part, Jonathan Kozol's study of the Cuban literacy campaign is updated and Cuba's success in urban education examined. It is demonstrated that Cuban schools promise to become effective in educating an urban poor population because of the earlier success of the nationwide literacy campaign. In the third and last part the ingredients for success in these schools are examined and four major changes in United Sttes educational and political policy are recommended. They are: (1) create effective school models; (2) create national urban student and parental organizations; (3) create a national education system; and (4) eliminate poverty. (RDN)