This study examined academic literacy (the reading, writing, and verbal demands on students) as a foundation for a collaboration between high school and university faculty designed to ease transitions by students from secondary to postsecondary education. The 3-year project was conducted at an urban public university that enrolls approximately 23,000 students, of whom 24 percent are minorities and a nearby city high school. While the basic goal of the project was to create academic literacy descriptions that could be used for collaboration among faculty to create better preparation programs for high school students, it also achieved the development of a model of faculty collaboration. The faculty collaboration experienced in the project provided an environment in which faculty recognized that their shared work has broad implications which extend beyond their individual classrooms. The use of academic literacy was important in helping generate a broader participation from all faculty levels and allowed for a clearer focus to be maintained for discussion and for instituting change. This model has been distributed to 170 academic alliance contacts in a 15-state area identified by the Southern Regional Education Board, and will be distributed to a national audience at the American Association for Higher Education's 1993 Conference on College/School Partnerships. Appendices include study surveys, interview questions, an observation manual, and a dissemination list. (Contains 12 references.) (GLR)