Discussion of educational reform/renewal involves consideration of the institutional characteristics of schooling. Schools have underlying patterns of conduct, belief, and values that provide meaning to the ongoing activities of learning. These patterns and assumptions of school life have tended to produce standardized educational experiences, emphasize certain knowledge that is technical rather than imaginative, and maintain noncritical and protective professional activities. Specific efforts toward institutional reform, such as Individually Guided Education, should consider their programmatic strategies (organizational designs, instructional models, or evaluation procedures) in relation to their impact on the institutional quality of school life. (Author)