The Upper Peninsula Multi-District Planning Project was designed to provide analysis of large quantities of data postulated to have some bearing on student achievement and educational programs. It provided a means by which educational progress in Michigan's upper peninsula could be assessed. A brief history of the project is followed by a description of a summer training program for the project staff, and by an overview of principles, criteria, and instruments for data collection. The variables are then discussed. Mental ability is presented first; intelligence is defined; and the tests and results are discussed. School achievement testing is discussed at length, as is a questionnaire given to students. Other variables in this study include school climate, teacher characteristics, and the physical plant. A chapter is devoted to the economics of education in the upper peninsula, followed by a discussion of a questionnaire on school policies and goals. An overall review of the project is presented. This project was funded under a Title III, Elementary and Secondary Education Act grant. (BP)