A case study of a school district/university partnership for school restructuring is described in this paper. The collaborative effort focused on improving educational quality rather than changing the organizational structure; the goal was to turn all relationships within the school into learning relationships. The partnership focused on the core tasks of teaching and learning and changing the interaction among teaching professionals. Activities included the cultivation of both formal and informal leadership and the evolution of a new quasi-governance structure--a Change Council composed of district educational representatives who participated in university-led training sessions. The shift to a collaborative focus most strongly affected the role of the principal, who is in the middle between school-based and districtwide initiatives and between teachers and the superintendent. The principal's "middleness" may represent the most difficult challenge in restructuring relationships when shifting to a collaborative arrangement. (LMI)