This guide presents research-based practices and elements that are essential to effective systemic reform, especially as such reform relates to the needs, challenges, and context of urban schools. It is designed to enable school leadership teams to develop, review, and revise school plans that focus on the elements of effective educational leadership, teaching, and learning. This guide is intended to be used as a formal review with external technical assistance providers, or as a school self-review. Topics, highlighted as elements, have been constructed and expanded from various components of the nine criteria emphasized in Comprehensive School Reform work. As each criterion was examined, indicators were designed to help urban schools engage in in-depth conversations about internal and external research-based effective strategies often ignored by already overburdened urban school teams. Each item in the inquiry guide has performance indicators that describe the school's characteristics in relation to performance standards identified in educational research literature as essential for effective educational practice. The essential elements are: school mission/philosophy; school climate; school organization; curriculum and instruction; assessment; professional development; instructional resources; parent/family involvement; support services; and external and physical resources. (Sm).