The Schools Reaching Out program attempts to help urban public schools change their relations with low-income parents and their communities and to move closer to academic and social success for all children. The program, initiated in 1988, has grown into the 89-member League of Schools Reaching Out. The New York Cluster of Schools Reaching Out was formed in 1990-91 when four schools joined another elementary school that had begun research efforts. Each of the schools in the cluster had a collaborating outside partner organization or agency. Each school defined a project that focused on some aspect of student learning. Two schools identified students' social skills; one chose curriculum reform, one selected assessment, and the last chose to participate in New York City's Accelerated Schools Program. This report begins with a description of the projects through 1992-93 and the subsequent steps they are planning. The second section of the report is comprised of reflections on the cluster experience in the larger context of research and on efforts to build family-school-community partnerships. The final section proposes a framework for building partnerships through shared decision making and activities. Appendixes list the cluster schools and partners and the minigrants received by one school. (Contains 38 references.) (SLD)