School reform efforts in particular those targeting urban school transformation have a long standing history of establishing partnerships among distinct entities to improve school performance and increase student academic achievement. This book examines an education partnership involving a private research university, a community-based organization, and an urban high school in the Los Angeles area to identify the persistent barriers as well as the effective strategies that emerge from a partnership of this type. Further, the book examines the attributes of a co-constructed partnership that redistributes assets and resources among all partners to foster the adult agents urban youth need to develop learner identities and improve their academic performance.