Over the past decade, a new phenomenon has emerged in school districts across the country--the use of volunteers to help students learn. It was inevitable that community members would ultimately respond to the tremendous needs of children in schools, as it was inevitable that professional educators would have to use additional resources to meet these needs. Bridging the gap between the professional and the layman presented enormous challenges for those implementing school volunteer programs. Legal ramifications, union considerations, staff resistance, community response, funding sources, appropriate training, and communications were some problems shared by initiators. This booklet illustrates how one community met those challenges and provided the research that became the basis for statewide supportive services for school volunteers. (Author/MLF)