Addressing the question, "What can be done to promote school achievement?", this paper summarizes the literature on motivation relating to classroom achievement and school effectiveness. Particular attention is given to how values, ideology, and various cultural patterns impinge on classroom performance and serve to enhance motivation to achieve. In defining motivation and achievement, five identifiable behavior patterns are outlined along with an explanation of personal investment as a unifying concept for those patterns. Also, a description of the motivational cycle is provided and the rewards for personal investment in the educational process are briefly discussed. Next, the determinants of motivation and personal investment are examined in terms of the following factors: motivation as a personal trait; motivation and thoughts about the self; motivation and achievement goals; value attached to the task; and situational influences on motivation. Finally, a theory of personal investment stressing the role of cognitive mediators in determining motivation is developed. References and figures are appended. (DST)