This article serves as an introduction to a compilation of articles that examine schooling effects on student performance, attitudes, and behavior. A brief summary on the focus of each paper is provided. (EB)

This article examines the practice of academic tracking--how it operates and how it is perceived in a school. An attempt is made to detail how the stigma generated by low track placement is managed by students. (Author/EB)

Describes the first phase of an effective schools project in six urban elementary schools. Provides monthly reports on the first year of this multiyear effort that has focused on familiarizing school personnel with the literature on school improvement and encouraging them to put it into practice. (RDN)

Responds to a recent article in which Harry Miller criticizes the use of ethnographic or naturalistic methods in educational research. Reviews a number of ethnographic studies of schools, discusses the methodological rigor of such studies, and stresses the importance of information that can be gained through this type of research. (GC)