As schools evolve improvement plans in keeping with higher standards and expectations and increased accountability, most planners recognize they must include a comprehensive focus on addressing barriers to student learning and promoting healthy development. A growing volume of research on the value of schools, families, and communities working together to provide supportive programs and services indicates a number of promising findings, including improved school attendance, fewer behavior problems, improved inter-personal skills, enhanced achievement, and increased bonding at school and at home. Based on these findings, state and local education agencies are delineating ways to enhance social, emotional, and behavioral performance as a fundamental facet of improving academic performance. This brief highlights the research base for key elements of a comprehensive approach to address six major areas of concern: (1) enhancing classroom teachers' capacity for addressing problems and for fostering social, emotional, intellectual and behavioral development; (2) enhancing school capacity to handle transition concerns confronting students and families; (3) responding to, minimizing impact of, and preventing crisis; (4) enhancing home involvement; (5) outreaching to the community to build linkages and collaborations; and (6) providing special assistance to students and families. Taken as a whole, the research-base for initiatives to pursue a comprehensive focus on addressing barriers to student learning and promoting healthy development indicates a range of activity that can enable students to learn and teachers to teach. Findings also underscore that addressing major psychosocial problems one at a time is unwise because the problems are interrelated and require multifaceted and cohesive solutions. Overall, the literature provides models for content of such activity and also stresses the importance of coalescing such activity into a comprehensive, multifaceted approach.