A group of low-performing schools received additional state funds to improve achievement as part of California's Immediate Intervention/Underperforming Schools Program (II/USP). A mixed-method evaluation was conducted to determine whether II/USP schools outperformed similar non-II/USP schools, how teachers and administrators understood resources and how those resources might affect achievement, and how schools used the funds. All California schools with valid Academic Performance Index scores were used for the quantitative analysis, and five middle schools were used for the qualitative analysis. The academic performance of II/USP schools was not statistically different from that of non-II/USP schools. Interviews and observations in case study schools indicated that many teachers and administrators did not know how to assess options for their potential to affect student learning and did not receive satisfactory help in understanding this relationship from state-sponsored external evaluators. Case study schools had difficulty spending the money as intended, and administrators thought that they did not receive needed district support. (Contains 2 tables, 1 figure and 28 footnotes.)