This report is a synthesis of selected studies that focused on the efforts of educational reform legislation passed in Washington State in 1993. It set out to answer the following questions about educational reform in Washington: (1) Are certain classroom approaches to teaching and learning related to student success on the new learning outcomes? (2) What schoolwide practices are related to student success on the new learning outcomes? (3) What are the characteristics of the schools where students are most successful? (4) To what degree are district central-office practices related to student success? and (5) What role does the district play in school success and student achievement? The first section presents an overview of educational reform in Washington. The next section focuses on the research findings around classroom instruction. The third section focuses on the research findings about effective schoolwide and district policies and practices. The fourth section reviews what has been learned from research and evaluation efforts in more than 200 schools attempting reform with the assistance of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The final section synthesizes the findings and discusses the implications for further reform efforts in Washington. (Contains 36 references.) (WFA)