The text provides information to secondary school principals to assist them in designing and maintaining effective educational programs for severely handicapped high school students, including those who are labeled moderately or severely retarded, multiply handicapped, or autistic. A model of effective program characteristics is followed by a review of indicators of effective schools and their implications for programs serving students with severe handicaps. A classroom observation checklist provides a basis for formulating program or classroom goals in the following areas: individualized education programs (IEPs), staff and student scheduling, data collection on student performance, age appropriateness of classroom environment, instructional methods in school and community settings, student work placements, peer tutors, transition planning, and amount of instructional time. Succeeding sections offer a list of practical administrative decisions which can improve the school environment for severely disabled students, as well as a comprehensive list of critical accomplishments for use in generating professional development goals in such areas as management of classroom tasks and resources, supported employment, and integration of students in school and community. Finally, answers to common questions about the implementation of an integrated community-based program model are followed by reprints of selected articles and a brief bibliography. (JW)