This executive summary of a report on the Ways to Improve Schools and Education (WISE) Project study of local school-business collaboration focuses upon the private sector voluntary efforts to help schools become more effective through staff development/inservice education. Topics covered in the report include: (1) rationale for the project; (2) statement of the problems and goals for WISE; (3) site selection (limited to three school districts in the southwest); (4) development of liaison teams; (5) findings in literature in regard to school-business collaboration; (6) findings from WISE sites; (7) reports from the working conferences; (8) guidelines identified by issues and problems; and (9) conclusions and recommendations from sites and liaison teams. (JD)