This study analyzes local school council (LSC) meetings in Chicago (Illinois) during their first year of operation. The Chicago School Reform Act of 1988 created a radical shift in authority from the central bureaucracy to the LSCs, empowering the LSCs to set educational policy and govern schools. The councils hire and evaluate the principal, advise on important issues, including curriculum, textbook selection, and discipline, and approve a school improvement plan and budget. Meetings at eight elementary schools and four high schools were observed for the second half of the school year. The 12 schools are representative of the school system as a whole in terms of racial composition, size, and geographic location. The following summary findings are reported: (1) the average attendance rate for LSC members was 70 percent and attendance varied greatly from one council to another; (2) the average LSC discussed six different topics in each meeting, including the school program, LSC organization, building security and safety, finance, personnel, and parent and community involvement; and (3) discussions about overcrowding, school improvement planning, principal selection and contract, and safety, security, and discipline generated the highest participation by LSC membes. Brief descriptions of the research methodology and 16 tables of statistical data illustrating the characteristics of participating schools and the numbers of LSC meetings observed are appended. (FMW)