The Alberta Initiative for School Improvement (AISI) is a bold approach to improving student learning by encouraging teachers, parents, and the community to work collaboratively to introduce innovative projects that address local needs. Initiated in 1999 by the Alberta Government and its partners, AISI provides targeted funding to school authorities to improve student learning and enhance student engagement and performance. More than $500 million has been invested in this initiative to continuously improve student learning in Alberta. After three successful three-year cycles of the Alberta Initiative for School Improvement (2000-2009), AISI is now in its fourth cycle, 2009-2012. The purpose of this AISI Handbook for Cycle 4 is to provide school authorities with the provincial and local requirements and processes for planning, funding, implementing, managing, evaluating, reporting and sharing school improvement projects. The handbook has seven sections. The first provides a framework for the initiative. It includes the goal, principles, operational procedures, and characteristics, and highlights the AISI partnership. Sections II to V describe the requirements for developing AISI projects and reporting annual results. Section VI provides AISI contact information and Section VII identifies the Cycle 4 AISI project forms that are available on the AISI Extranet Site. As school improvement projects require substantial effort by all involved, this handbook has been designed as a reference to assist school authorities in planning and implementing sustainable AISI improvement projects.