In this issue, we explore how community partnerships to support formal learning and development matter and how they can be created and sustained. In research update, we discuss the results of a new report and poll on 21st century skills that affirms that every student needs a “basics plus” education that pushes beyond core academic knowledge to embrace 21st century skills and content that, as a result, must push beyond traditional methods of instruction and assessment. In voices from the fields, we interview Jean Thomases, a senior consultant with the Academy for Educational Development and the Forum, who has made a career out of “blurring the lines.” In on the ground, we take a look at Springfield, Massachusetts, one of the sites of CS2 — Communities and Schools for Career Success, a strategy to galvanize community/school partnerships in support of learning across the district.