Instead of occurring in a vacuum, educational planning should use strategic, priority-driven approach that articulates the interactions between the community and the schools. Such planning requires understanding of the community context and goals and values for public schools. This working paper attempts to apply urban planning methods to educational long-range planning. The first part explains an innovative approach synthesizing 20 years of prior studies by presenting the conceptual framework, diagramming its components, and indicating the flow of the planning and policy-making process. The planning process depends heavily on contributions from three groups: (1) an interdisciplinary team to assess contextual and policy variables and forecast community outlook; (2) a management team of teachers and administrators to meet with the interdisciplinary team; and (3) community participation through a broad-based citizens' advisory group. Various developmental stages are outlined. The second part provides a case illustration using Stamford, Connecticut, a community experiencing numerous demographic, economic, and land use changes during the past 35 years. Numerous exhibits and a list of the author's planning and public policy reports are appended. (MLH)