Noting that schools need to be concerned with non-academic conditions that affect academic achievement and need to work with other services and programs to help students, the introductory chapter of this book offers reasons why existing programs are not working and suggests interagency collaboration as a solution. The second chapter offers, as a guide, the following nine-step program for building interagency collaboration to serve students and families: (1) finding out what programs are being offered currently by the school and other agencies; (2) understanding what school-linked services are and whether they exist in the local and neighboring communities; (3) knowing the basic needs of families and children, and identifying gaps and overlaps in services; (4) agreeing on a common vision of the collaboration; (5) setting goals and expectations; (6) designing comprehensive services; (7) developing a plan; (8) planning an evaluation; and (9) acting on the plan. The third chapter discusses the following seven areas of decision-making in designing the collaboration: leadership and management; location of services; delivery of services; staffing; client targeting; funding; and evaluation. It also indicates the pitfalls to be avoided in relation to each of these areas. The three possibilities subsequent to the collaboration and what can be done with regard to each are highlighted in the last chapter. Those are: maintaining the collaborative's current scope; expanding its scope to other sites; or discontinuing the initiative for lack of funding, support, or interest. Includes 38 references. (BAC)