The intent of these guidelines is to help educators (teachers, principals, counselors, psychologists, and social workers) meet the challenge posed by increasing numbers of at-risk students arriving in the schools. The guidelines, produced in collaboration with many organizations, were based on answers to the following questions: who are these students? what are their characteristics? what works with them? and what do educators need to know and be able to do to help them succeed in school and in life? Supporting software allows users to select: (1) the setting in which to apply the guidelines--school district, school of education, or state department of education;(2) which educators are to use the guidelines--teacher, principal, counselor, psychologist, social worker, or staff responsible for their preparation, supervision, and evaluation; (3) the use to be made of the guidelines--for hiring, needs assessment, or evaluation; and (4) area(s) to be investigated. Two sections of the document provide a framework for presenting the guidelines and describing how they are to be used (sample evaluation forms are included). Appendixes provide National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) propositions and Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) principles; and a list of organizations participating in guideline development. (LL)