Factors that are important to a partnership are addressed, based on cooperation between Brigham Young University (BYU) and five public school districts. Examples are derived from the work of the field experience committee, one partnership group. It is emphasized that a partnership is based on mutual respect of each other's competencies (the university's and the schools'). Mutual trust means that the university and the school districts attribute the best possible motives to each other's words and actions in the mutual effort for educational improvement. In the process of building trust, it was learned that "little details" and listening to each other are important. Without communication, fears are enlarged because of an accumulation of negative past experiences. Details that turned out to have significance to partnership building included: setting a meeting time, recording attendance and absence at meetings, and sending a reminder a day or so before the meeting. The views of university and public school teachers about the partnership were solicited. While the idea of cooperation was valued, many teachers feared change, added time demands, and elitism in choosing partner schools. Both the university and public school were afraid of being taken over by each other and dictorial administrators. (SW)