This paper describes a professional development initiative aiming to develop strong school/community partnerships, building the capacity for integrated, school-linked services and developing diverse models for community collaboration. Early in the 1995-1996 school year, seven school districts in mid-Missouri were recruited to begin developing models for community collaboration. Each district identified a Leadership Cadre, to include: the district administrator; a building principal, a counselor or special service coordinator; and a classroom teacher. These groups met monthly at William Woods University to network and receive training on: identifying situations that place children at risk, developing coordinated approaches to meeting students' needs, and effectively linking the school to community resources. Following monthly training sessions, each cadre in turn trained its own community team (including parents, students, human services providers, and other community representatives). During the second project year, pilot sites plan to use these community teams to move toward more school-linked services for students and their families, while five additional pilot sites will be added per year. Additional features of the program include an online database of community resources, monthly inservice opportunities, an interdisciplinary forum for preservice teachers, and an annual special education conference. (PB)