The partnership was formed from the efforts of volunteer committees concerned with the apparently poor education offered by some schools. The school district responded to the committees by introducing voluntary organizations; the business community provided models for a partnership structure. Once approached, Tenneco agreed to sponsor a school with low achievement among students and a downtown location in a Hispanic neighborhood in Houston. Despite some problems in consistency among the volunteers, the partnership has functioned fairly smoothly. Although many students at Jefferson Davis High School are affected by the program, the severely disadvantaged and at-risk youth targeted by the Summer Jobs/Training Program reap the most benefits. As a result of the partnership, attendance rates, achievement scores, and other measures of morale at the school have increased dramatically. The program's greatest strength has been the deep commitment and the presence of strong, thoughtful advocates both in Tenneco and at Jefferson Davis High. The major weaknesses have been a loose operating structure, problems in the administration of the parent Communities in School (CIS) component, and the lack of school-to-work transitions. 2 appendixes.