In 1995 Catholic educators established Selected Programs for Improving Catholic Education (SPICE). The program is a form of action research that identifies, validates, and systematically diffuses elementary and secondary school programs that work. This handbook is the first volume in a series of annual National Catholic Educational Association publications that disseminate the findings of SPICE. Following chapter 1, "The Call for Collaboration," by Joseph M. O'Keefe, S.J., chapter 2 provides a history of SPICE and an overview of its process and plans for the future. Chapter 3 presents the seven 1996 SPICE schools and their programs, outlining their focus, goals, activities, and plans for implementation. Chapter 4 discusses the call to collaboration by recounting Boston College's experience in on-campus interprofessional development and partnerships with local schools. The fifth chapter describes Catholicism's teachings about the unequaled importance of children. Chapter 6 explores the nature of rigidity and offers four requirements for successful change. References accompany the chapters. (LMI)