This handbook is concerned with one specialized form of participation: participatory planning. It is based on several years of experience in participatory planning and is infused with the bias that sees a great deal of potential good in expanded participation in general and in participatory planning in particular. It is also recognized that participatory planning is difficult, time-consuming, and requires skills and methods that may not be present at the moment. The first part of the handbook spells out some arguments for forms of participatory planning. In the second section, the important background considerations relating to participatory planning are discussed. The third section is on organizing and managing a participatory planning process. This section includes a discussion of the relationship between participatory planning activities and the rest of the school system decision-making processes. (Author/IRT)