AED conducted a qualitative evaluation of five schools participating in the SSA project, as well as of the professional development they participated in from 1998 to 2000. The main findings of an interim evaluation report (Gopalan, Weinbaum & Tice, 2000) are: Schools that fully implemented SSA fostered significant improvements in teaching and learning, including improvements in student achievement scores on standardized tests. In these schools, SSA facilitated school planning and improvement by coordinating initiatives with teaching and learning priorities. Principals and staff reported that the goals and the strategies to address them are a “map” helping them focus and continue their improvement efforts in a sustained manner. Principal involvement in SSA was critical. Schools without such involvement did not demonstrate the same progress as other schools in which principals worked closely with staff on SSA efforts.