This article offers a preliminary report of the first 2 years of a 3-year partnership between a university faculty member and a public middle-school teacher. The partnership was guided by four questions: How does academic service learning transform curricular delivery and the critical identity of teacher as a professional? What is the impact of academic service learning on the interactions between students and community members? How can classroom action research support collegiality and professional development? and How do academic service learning and collaborative action research influence the creation of democratic communities? The study is based on a project in which the middle-school teacher, in collaboration with the university educator, applied the principles of academic service learning by leading her Technical Arts students in the construction of a community-built playground. Early results of the partnership show that the transformation of curricular delivery and the critical identity of the teacher as a professional can be profound. The work served to engage the students since the project was easily seen as relevant and immediately applicable. Furthermore, students were able to interact in meaningful ways with adults who were not their parents or teachers. The project supported the collegiality and professional development of all professional participants. (RJM)