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This paper is based on a multiple case study of schools which have been identified as improving their performance for about a decade. We proposed different criteria by which to characterize and study these improvement processes and, by applying them to our sample, we elaborated a typology of school improvement trajectories: we identified 4 different trajectories of school improvement. We called the first typerestricted improvementbecause at its center is the management of processes that mainly target academic achievement tests; the second isincipient improvement, which is based on changes that restructure the school processes; the third identified trajectory are cases where school improvement ismoving toward institutionalization, while the last are those cases where improvement has been alreadyinstitutionalizedand the schools have achieved high levels of educational effectiveness. We identified challenges that schools face at different stages of school improvement and discussed some related policy issues. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]