This guide is part of an initiative to support the efforts of the Organizations Concerned about Rural Education (OCRE) in helping rural school districts plan for school improvement. The guide outlines a one-day workshop to help focus attention on ways to gain community support and plan initiatives. After explaining how to plan the workshop, the guide offers a step-by-step format for the presentation that includes the following: welcoming the participants and explaining the purpose of the workshop; explaining the steps for effective planning; creating a vision; presenting success stories; enlisting community support for change; organizing the community; discussing school-business partnerships; dealing with community conflicts; finding funding; writing grants; taking action; and concluding the presentation. Accompanying the guide is a videotape that examines how two rural communities (Charlotte City, Virginia; E. Yuma County, Colorado) either built additional facilities or better prepared their students with today's necessary job skills by using innovative partnership approaches with local industry and the community. (Contains a building analysis and a list of organizations concerned about rural education.) (GR)