District programs developed in 1980-83 to address improvement priorities of the Pittsburgh Board of Education include Monitoring Achievement in Pittsburgh (MAP), Pittsburgh's Research-Based Instructional Supervisory Model (PRISM), and the School Improvement Project (SIP). MAP programs in math, writing, reading, and critical thinking bring together explicit statements of learning outcomes, regularly administered criterion referenced tests, computerized printouts of each student's mastery for teachers' planning purposes, instructional materials keyed to identified objectives, and inservice training for teachers and administrators. As a result of the program, elementary students scored at or above grade level for the first time in 15 years. PRISM III is intended to increase student achievement and the effectiveness of personnel evaluation and to manage an enrollment decline. By restaffing a secondary school with the district's best teachers, a teacher center will be established where secondary teachers will be able to spend 8 weeks in order to observe exemplary instruction in a real setting, sharpen their instructional skills, practice new techniques, receive feedback, translate theory into practice, update their knowledge of their specific subject and of teaching technology, obtain a broad perspective on contemporary youth culture, and receive support on return to their home school. (MJL)