Several underlying curriculum variables influencing the course of study as it is implemented in the inner city, such as class size and personnel policies, are examined in this investigation, which seeks to determine the relationship between the curriculum variables and standardized academic tests on black and immigrant children in Montreal. Information and data are obtained from ten English speaking elementary schools within the Protestant School Board of Greater Montreal. Findings indicate that school board data on class size is discrepant with actual class size; that the personnel in inner city schools seem to be less experienced than noninner city schools; that both black and immigrant groups perform equally poorly on standardized reading tests; and that black children have more difficulty than immigrant children on standardized math tests. The results do not seem discrepant from other studies of lower SES schools. Once again, the problem in the skill areas is reaffirmed. The issues that remain are the following: (1) whether communities are going to make the necessary commitments of time, energy, and money to make successful intervention in schools; (2) whether this intervention will try to match the child, his culture, and instructional task; and, (3) whether learning will take place from past mistakes, or whether mistakes will be made again. (Author/AM)