This issue focuses on support and cooperation among various components of the educational community, specifically as this has been achieved by the Willamette Valley (Oregon) Education Consortium, a research-based organization of school districts, educational agencies, and an institute of higher education. The first article describes how schools need to understand and incorporate knowledge about teacher work in ever-evolving attempts to improve student learning. Through planning bodies composed of people from different levels, schools can clarify classroom objectives and needed resources. The second article discusses how a research-based consortium of school districts serves as a vehicle for planning and implementation through a three-step process: (1) policy-making and planning; (2) program design and development; (3) program implementation, evaluation, and refinement. The third article is an account of meetings of the consortium board of directors and the planning council. It illustrates how the consortium plans and implements its programs through open debate and discussion, integrating diverse outlooks from the various sectors to achieve a balanced and adaptive view of school improvement. (TE)