Based on a study by the Department of Community Service Education, Cornell University, to evaluate human service planning (HSP) nationwide, this paper discusses the premises that HSP may be defined as community learning and that the community (according to the Robert Boyd and Jerold Apps model for adult education) is both a beneficiary of and participant in such learning. The function of HSP as stated here is to assist decision-makers responsible for acting in the public interest to perceive and evaluate decision alternatives, i.e., to learn. As illustrations of different learning strategies, the organization of human services planning in three states is examined: Illinois' independent agencies, each of which does its own planning; Kentucky's integrated umbrella agency; and Massachusetts' coordination of agencies under a secretariat. The limitations and advantages of each strategy are discussed as well as the distribution of learning duties within the organizations. To assess the extent, duration, and applicability of community learning, it is suggested that tangible evidence (such as (1) decisions and plans, (2) changes in services offered, (3) increased predictability in outcomes, (4) greater interagency coordination, (5) improved ratio of benefits to costs, and (6) broader acceptance of involvement in HSP) be analyzed. (EG)