The 1988/89 New York City high school Inquiry Demonstration Project (IDP) met or surpassed its evaluation criteria. The IDP comprised the Urban Academy, a laboratory school serving high-risk students, and an on-site staff development program in seven high schools. The overall goal was to promote the use of the inquiry method in the classroom. The inquiry method is a student-centered process in which students question, analyze, and evaluate a body of material. Through increased use of the inquiry method, the program sought to develop students' critical thinking skills and to encourage high risk students to stay in school. Evaluation objectives were that 70 percent of the Urban Academy students would increase their attendance rates and be enrolled in a high school program as of spring 1989. The Academy students achieved an 87 percent attendance rate and a 93 percent retention rate. Interviews with students and teachers indicated satisfaction with the Academy and the on-site programs, but the Academy did not appear to serve as a training site to the extent that it had in previous years. The on-site programs appeared to serve as an antidote to burnout and as a focus of teacher creativity and innovations. Recommendations for improvement include encouraging on-site program teachers to remain in the program longer, redevelopment of the Academy as a training site, and a future evaluation of the success of the inquiry method in promoting critical thinking. (FMW)