Parish religious education programs for children and young people are examined with emphasis on how these programs are administered and operated, how students evaluate them, and what organizational and program factors are characteristic of particularly effective programs. Nominations for effective programs were solicited from 83 dioceses, and 258 nominations were received. Three methodologies were used to examine these programs: selected site visits; a staff survey at each site; and a survey of a random sample of students at each site. One hundred and forty-six parishes cooperated in the surveys for a return rate of 57 percent. The body of the report is divided into five chapters. Chapter 1 discusses administrative and program factors. Chapter 2 examines student religious behavior, beliefs, values, and influences. Chapter 3 presents student views on their catechists and programs. Chapter 4 describes parish religious education input factors that are associated with student outcomes and chapter 5 includes a summary and examines some implications. The report concludes with a listing of 33 major findings compiled from chapters 1 through 4 and appendix A, which discusses the observations of the site visitors. Five other appendices are provided. Appendices B through D include the staff survey, the student survey, and methodological notes. Appendix E contains a list of project consultants and appendix F presents a list of participating parishes. (RSL)