A PLANNED APPROACH TO EDUCATIONAL CHANGE FOCUSES UPON THE INTERNAL FUNCTIONING OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. RESEARCH GENERALIZATIONS INDICATING CONDITIONS WHICH INFLUENCE LEARNING ARE CITED AS A BASIS FOR A CONCEPTUAL MODEL. FROM THIS MODEL, SOME ORGANIZATIONAL FUNCTIONS WHICH NEED TO BE DEVELOPED WITHIN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM ARE DERIVED. FIVE LEVELS OF HUMAN PHENOMENA ARE CITED THAT CONDITION THE PROCESS OF RESOURCE UTILIZATION IN FULFILLING THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE OF THE CHILD--THE PUPIL AS SELF, THE CLASSROOM PEER GROUP, DIRECT WORKERS WHO CREATE LEARNING EXPERIENCES (TEACHERS), THOSE WHO INFLUENCE THE DIRECT WORKERS (PRINCIPALS), AND INFLUENCERS OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM AS AN ORGANIZATION. IF THESE CONDITIONS ARE TO BE MAXIMIZED, A CLEAR CONCEPTUAL MODEL OF THE LEARNING PROCESS IS ESSENTIAL. ELEMENTS OF SUCH A MODEL WOULD INCLUDE (1) LEARNING THROUGH INQUIRY, (2) INDIVIDUALIZATION OF LEARNING, (3) DEVELOPMENT OF PUPIL PURPOSE AND SELF-CONCEPT, (4) PUPIL INVOLVEMENT IN CURRICULUM PLANNING, (5) USE OF A WIDE VARIETY OF RESOURCES, AND (6) CROSS-ABILITY AND CROSS-AGE HELPING. TO INITIATE SUCH CONCEPTS, THE MICHIGAN REGION COOPERATIVE PROJECT FOR EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (COPED) STRATEGY FOR PLANNED CHANGE INVOLVES (1) ORGANIZATION OF MATERIALS CONCEPTUALIZING PLANNED CHANGE IN A FORM APPROPRIATE FOR SHARING WITH SCHOOL SYSTEM REPRESENTATIVES, (2) INTERUNIVERSITY COLLABORATION, AND (3) UNIVERSITY TEAM RELATIONSHIPS WITH SELECTED SCHOOL SYSTEMS IN ITS REGION. TWENTY-FIVE REPRESENTATIVES OF SYSTEMS IN THE MICHIGAN REGION WERE INVITED TO A CONFERENCE EXPLAINING THE PURPOSES AND PROCEDURES OF COPED. STEPS WERE OUTLINED FOR BECOMING AN ACTION-RESEARCH COLLABORATION SYSTEM AND FOR IDENTIFYING CHANGE EFFORTS AND MEETING THE NEEDS OF DIFFERENT SYSTEMS. THE PROGRAM SHOULD ACHIEVE (1) INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF THE CHANGE PROCEDURES, (2) SYSTEM ADOPTION OF DESIRABLE CHANGE EFFORTS, AND (3) DOCUMENTATION AND EVALUATION OF THE PROCESS TO PERMIT DISSEMINATION OF THIS CHANGE MODEL TO OTHER SYSTEMS. THIS ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED IN "CHANGE IN SCHOOL SYSTEMS," AVAILABLE FROM THE NATIONAL TRAINING LABORATORIES, NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION, 1201 16TH STREET, N.W., WASHINGTON, D.C. 20036, FOR $2.50 (GB)