A 4-year case study was done of a partnership program between the Houston (Texas) Independent School District and Texas A&M University's College of Education (College Station) designed to prepare student teachers for work in inner-city public schools. The two institutions worked together through four collaborative decision-making councils to form the Houston Teaching Academy (HTA). Representatives from the school and college served on each of the councils. Shared weekly seminars for supervising teachers, student teachers, and college supervisors were led by school teachers and college faculty. Mathematics methods courses were taught at the HTA, and the college students served as tutors in the classrooms. An evaluation of the program through telephone interviews with 68 graduates indicated that 70 percent were still teaching and of those, 75 percent were working in schools that serve an at-risk diverse population of students. Results of the collaboration suggest that teachers can be prepared to work in urban schools when the school environment is safe, the staff are committed to growth, college faculty can collaborate with school staff, student teachers are committed to serving students from different cultures, and the college is willing to assign faculty to the school site. Included are 14 references. (JB)