The Ways to Improve Schools and Education (WISE) Project made an exploratory study of local school-business collaborative efforts to develop human resources and enrich the quality of education in the community. The focus of the study was on private sector voluntary efforts to help schools become more effective through staff development/inservice education. The base of operation was developed through: (1) interacting with school-business projects; (2) reviewing relevant literature; and (3) assisting with the establishment and implementation of collaborative activities at three pilot sites in the Southwest. At each site, a Liaison Team was organized, consisting of representatives from: (1) the school district; (2) a collaborating business or chamber of commerce; (3) an institution of higher education; (4) the state education agency; and (5) the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory. The project: (1) identified and prioritized issues involved in school-business collaboration; (2) wrote guidelines to resolve these issues; (3) developed models for implementing collaboration; (4) drew conclusions which indicated that education and private sector collaboration is a viable and necessary concept which benefits the schools, business, and the community, and that liaison teams are an effective means of facilitating this collaboration; and (5) made recommendations for improving and facilitating education-private sector partnerships during fiscal year 1984. (Author/JD)