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Innovation in elementary education was the focus of a 5-year project of the 24 member States of the Council for Cultural Co-operation of the Council of Europe. Concerning 5-through-6-year-olds and 11-through-12-year-olds and representing the first sustained effort undertaken by the Council of Europe in the field of elementary education, the project began in 1983 and continued until 1987. To give the project a practical dimension, a network of 12 contact schools was established that provided liaison between elementary schools engaged in innovation. Chapter 1 of this final report discusses internal and external pressures currently exerted on educational systems, including economic and social factors and new knowledge about child development. Chapter 2 considers how education systems in general have reacted to these pressures, what solutions have been found, what problems remain, and where systemic malfunctioning can still be observed. Chapter 3 explores factors entering into innovation, styles of innovation recorded by the project, and factors favorable to and obstacles to the implementation of innovation. Chapter 4 puts forth conclusions and several recommendations concerning the objectives and organization of primary education, conditions surrounding innovation, curricula, the implications of the innovation process for participants, and project follow-up. Appendices provide a general description of the context of the project and it working methods, a discussion of school improvement, case studies on innovations, an exploratory analysis of the process of innovation, the project's main curriculum-related conclusions, and a summary of workshops on research and assessment. (RH)