This report describes the efforts of eight elementary and middle schools in seven states to involve families and communities in ways that have significant impact on students' learning. Through a process called Parent-Teacher Action Research (PTAR), teams of parents and teachers, principals, and facilitators at each school closely examined their own efforts to involve families and communities and took action to improve community partnerships and school involvement programs. The PTAR project used a case study approach to examine the processes and effects of family-community interventions within the eight schools. Overall, the results indicated that the PTAR process helped parents, teachers, and administrators make sense of the goals and strategies they were attempting in their school improvement and partnership ventures to address the needs of the whole child. The process also helped them to solve problems by implementing flexible and responsive policies and programs. Four appendixes provide copies of program goals, handouts, newsletters, forms, questionnaires, and survey results. (Contains 13 references.) (MDM)