In the face of fiscal crisis, today's education reform measures must be both cost-efficient and classroom effective. Experience shows that successful measures incorporate lessons gained from the growth years of the 1970's. New teaching practices, for example, can be transferred from site to site; schools can use to their advantage past efforts of distant colleagues. At the same time, schools require the help of decentralized networks in implementing improvement proposals and maintaining normal operations during financially tight periods. Additionally, small incentive grants to schools and teachers can have an impact far exceeding their cost. Proper staff development is still another important reform category; substantial guidance is provided by past research on educational change. In sum, such activities are not meant to replace more comprehensive strategies, but they do represent an essential link in the educational reform chain. (KS)