Rural schools traditionally have played a central role in their communities. Now, as rural communities face declining quality of life and threats to their viability, collaborative partnerships between communities and schools offer a promising approach to community revitalization and survival. Researchers have identified three distinct, yet related approaches to building strong school-community relationships: (1) school as community center, in which the school becomes a resource for lifelong learning and delivers a wide range of educational, health, and social services; (2) community as curriculum, emphasizing student involvement in the study of community in all its complexity; and (3) school-based enterprise, in which students develop entrepreneurial skills by identifying service needs in the community and establishing a business to address those needs. The Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory has used all three approaches as starting points in its Community Development Partnership (CDP) project, pilot tested in three small isolated northwestern communities. CDP features include recognition of the importance of place; belief that community development must address social and environmental dimensions of community well-being, not just economics; and vision- and consensus-building activities. Important elements in sustaining partnerships over time are a strong base of community support, engagement of teachers in related curriculum work, and long-term commitment. Long-term partnerships will change fundamentally the way that schools prepare rural youth for the future. (SV)