This book, which is a companion to the books, "Shaking up the Schoolhouse" and "Inventing Better Schools," presents the Working on the Work (WOW) framework for improving student performance by improving the quality of schoolwork. Field-tested in schools nationwide, the framework describes the 12 essential components of a WOW school and suggests ways to improve the quality of content, organization of knowledge, measure of achievement, nurturance of creativity, and novelty and variety of tasks. The book offers guidelines for redesigning classroom activity so that more students are highly engaged in schoolwork, developing clear standards for assessing student work, and making connections between what students are doing and what they are expected to produce. The book also discusses the role of teachers, principals, and superintendents, and how they individually and collectively play a part in the WOW process. The book's appendixes include questionnaires to facilitate discussion, analysis, and action planning at both the school and classroom levels. (Contains 25 references.) (SM)