On March 31, 1993, President Clinton signed into law the Goals 2000: Educate America Act. The Goals 2000 Act sets educational improvement and participation as national priorities to be achieved through local and state ingenuity, not federal control. This document offers general information on the Act and provides questions to help educators and parents plan courses of action in their communities. Information is provided on how the partnership works and how to get started. The following 10 elements for developing the local action plan are described: (1) teaching and learning, standards and assessment; (2) opportunity-to-learn standards and program accountability; (3) use of technology; (4) governance, accountability, and management; (5) parent and community involvement; (6) systemwide improvements; (7) the promotion of grassroots efforts; (8) dropout prevention strategies; (9) school-to-work programs; and (10) milestones and timelines. Suggestions are offered for developing partnerships with the state, procuring federal assistance, and sharing information. Appendices contain elements of the State Goals 2000 Action Plan, a list of voluntary model standards and standards projects, and the National Education Goals and Objectives. (LMI)