During May of 1985, an external audit team was engaged by the Lorain (Ohio) City Schools to assess implementation of the seven correlates of an effective school. The correlates, developed by the Ohio State Department of Education, included: (1) a sense of mission; (2) strong building leadership; (3) high expectations for all students and staff; (4) frequent monitoring of student progress; (5) a positive learning climate; (6) sufficient opportunity for learning; and (7) home-school relations. All three high schools within the system were asked to rank order the correlates to reflect the specific values of an individual school. Objectives 3, 4, and 7 were emphasized. The audit team spent one day in each school to verify the extent to which each school had been successful in implementing the correlates. Methods of gathering data included interviewing faculty, counselors, students, and administrators, as well as informally observing classes in session, patterns of student movement, use of school facilities, and the interaction among students and between students and teachers. In addition to the observation, the following additional sources of data were examined: accrediting agency reports, school newsletters, local news coverage, and students' test scores. (Author/GDC)