Founded in 1990 by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia Economic Developers Association, The Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education is an organization of education, community and government leaders committed to promoting higher standards for all schools and bringing accountability to all components of the education system. The following are a selection of materials and tools used by the Partnership to leverage funding and public support for education reform in Georgia. This handbook outlines state and federal mandates for school improvement, initiatives taken for school improvement, the economics of education, and a checklist for developing a community action plan process. It also highlights the success story of Elbert County, as well as providing a comprehensive appendix of the processes, agendas, meeting notes, letters and forms used in Elbert County to implement the community action plan.