The College of Education of Ohio University has developed a number of partnerships with public schools in southeastern Ohio. The partnerships described share at least six common threads: (1) a beginning in informal conversation; (2) a shared set of goals; (3) an early focus on preservice teacher preparation; (4) a gradual expansion towards collaboration on professional development, proposal writing, and other common endeavors; (5) openness to creative and flexible rewards and incentives; and (6) minimal up-front investment. The efforts include: the Teacher Education for Civic Responsibility (TECR) Program, now called the Creating Active and Reflective Educators (CARE) Program; a program that includes professional development for classroom teachers; proposal development; the Appalachian Distance Learning Project, a fiber optic network that links three third-grade classrooms with the College of Education; and teaching of college course work by classroom teachers and district administrators. This effort also includes year-long professional development workshops and preservice field experience. The partnership experiences have shown that: little initial financial support is required; beginning informally and small is best; and recognizing the diversity between university and public school cultures is necessary. Existing partnerships are being strengthened to enhance partnerships that center around student teaching and teacher induction, and teacher research is being supported in problems arising directly from teaching practice. (JLS)