This monograph discusses learning communities in the context of community colleges, presents the challenges and benefits of learning communities, provides examples, and outlines the steps for a community college to follow in initiating a learning community. In part 1, the authors discuss the educational context in which learning communities have developed, describe the forms that learning communities most commonly take, and outline the interpersonal, administrative, and curricular challenges that learning communities create. Part 2 provides in-depth descriptions of the three learning communities the authors have developed at GateWay Community College: (1) STARS, a developmental program focused on the participants' needs for an orientation to the student role; (2) LINK, which combines a content course and two developmental skills courses; and (3) CLOUT, a freshman-year learning community of three courses that share a common skill focus, the power of language. This section of the monograph reveals the importance of planning, documentation, and analysis to a successful learning community. In part 3, the authors provide a three-phase implementation strategy for developing a successful learning community. In the appendix following this section, blank frameworks are provided to assist faculty in planning their own learning community. (VWC)