A Florida Department of Education R & D project, "Collection and Dissemination of Validated Community-based Career Guidance Practices," is presented with a focus upon four areas: (1) the project staff's 12 working definitions of community-based career guidance practices; (2) nine trends noted in the national survey being conducted; (3) selected practices illustrative of each trend; and (4) the format to be used in the final product of cookbook-type practitioner manuals of selected practices. proven career guidance practices ranging from kindergarten through post-secondary levels are investigated. The nearly 200 annotated findings from around the United States are organized into eight categories including: novel; volunteering; field trips; special career emphases, such as career days and weeks; internships/externships; shadowing/work experience/exploration; exchanges; and professional/inservice. The Manual Development phase, the major third-year activity which involves securing detailed information on the most promising practices identified is described in terms of the following format: title of the practice, brief description, suggested level(s) for use, sample objective(s), planning checklist, suggested resources, procedures for gaining support, possible barriers to implementation, management considerations, evaluation procedures, and possible variations. (Author)