A high school in the New England area was the setting for experimenting with a potential model for effective prevention and intervention in drug abuse and other areas of social concern. The method used is called Partnership in Research. It breaks with the traditional research model by involving the subjects as partners and participant researchers in an attempt at self study. The students studied drug use at their school, utilizing research methods to objectively appraise the problems which drugs pose to them and their peers. This paper discusses the role of science in the struggle for social survival, noting that traditional scientific models are inadequate for social science research, that much research is irrelevant and lacks utility, is narrow and simplistic in focus, and has little practical effect on social problem solving. The student's efforts as described demonstrate that high school students can develop and apply highly relevant questions and issues regarding their own interests and development. Findings from the student's study are listed and possibilities for further use of this model are examined. An appendix contains a drug group questionnaire. (Author/KSM)