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This study compared New American Schools (NAS) classrooms to non-NAS classrooms in the high poverty San Antonio, Texas, school district. NAS promoted whole-school reform to address lagging achievement and lackluster school reform attempts that produced little meaningful change. The study investigated whether NAS designs extended beyond changes in school organization and governance and permeated classrooms; whether NAS teachers and students interacted with each other and subject materials in ways that reflected the innovative curricular and instructional approaches of the design teams; and what factors at the district, school, and classroom level related to implementation of designs, changes in classroom instruction, and student achievement. Data collected from fourth grade students and teachers over 2 years included principal and teacher surveys; interviews with district staff, design team leaders, local facilitators, principals, and teachers; classroom observations; examples of student work; district data on test scores and student and teacher demographics; and achievement data. Results revealed few differences in teacher perceptions of instructional environments between NAS and non-NAS schools. While NAS designs had no significant effects on student achievement, principal leadership and instructional conditions promoted by NAS reforms related to student achievement. Study data are appended. (Contains 84 references.) (SM)