A teacher action research study, undertaken as part of the larger Schools Reaching Out (SRO) project, sponsored by the Institute for Responsive Education, is described in this report. The project is based on the concept of the urban school, family, and community partnership as a means to improve all children's academic achievement and social success. Implemented in one Boston and one New York City school, the project involved two teacher action research teams, organized to study faculty attitudes and activities concerning family/school relationships and to suggest strategies for improvement, focusing on the teacher role in building family/school partnerships. Methodology involved interviews with faculty from each school. A minigrant program developed by the research team at the Boston school was evaluated through the administration of questionnaires and interviews with parents, students, and teachers at that school. Findings indicated that teachers support one another, but are impeded by the school structure, receive inadequate recognition and compensation, and have limited impact on the formal decision-making process. The program did see an increased awareness of parent/teacher collaboration roles and positive informal changes. A conclusion is that teacher research teams and parent activities--based on shared decision making, choice, and individual empowerment--contrast with the bureaucratic organizational structure of traditional schools. As a strategy for educational reform, the family/school partnership can introduce flexibility and participation into schools' hierarchical structures. However, although the teams provide support and professional growth, they cannot alter the institutionalized decision-making structures without strong administrative support. (93 references) (LMI)