School-community partnerships are collaborations that, under optimal conditions, blend resources of at least one school and sometimes a group of schools or a school district with resources in a given neighborhood or the larger community. Such partnerships can weave together a large number of resources and strategies to enhance caring communities that support all youth and their families to enable success in school and beyond. This guidebook underscores the "why" of school-community partnerships as it highlights their nature and key dimensions. The state of the art across the country and in Los Angeles County, California, is described. Some recommendations are made for local school and community policymakers, and steps in building and maintaining school-community partnerships are outlined. Nine appendixes contain some specific examples of school-community partnerships in action and some tools for developing a partnership and mapping resources. Two resource aids are included: "Working with Others To Enhance Programs and Services" and "Agencies and Online Resources Relevant to School-Community Partnerships." (Contains 5 tables, 3 figures, and 135 references.) (SLD)