Community schools have always rooted their work in a solid body of research about what it takes to promote student success, including parental involvement in children's education, rich and engaging out-of-school experiences, student wellness and family stability. Because the community schools strategy, on its face, makes sense--and because the evidence shows that it works--an increasing number of schools in the United States and abroad have adopted this strategy. According to the Coalition for Community Schools, a national alliance of more than 170 organizations, at least 5,000 U.S. schools have been transformed into community schools. And through the Children's Aid Society's (CAS's) national and international work at the National Center for Community Schools, there is now an estimate of at least 27,000 additional schools worldwide pursuing this approach. Global forces that are driving this change include new immigration patterns, income-based achievement gaps, post-conflict political changes and the push for democratization in post-Communist countries. These and other issues are explored in this guidebook. Appended are: (1) Role of a Lead Partner in a Community School; (2) Community School Coordinator Sample of Job Description; (3) Stages of Development of Community Schools; (4) Theory of Change Basics for Community Schools; and (5) The CAS Theory of Change. A list of resources is included.