Montclair State University has partnered with a local school district to plan a University-assisted Community School to begin in the 2013-2014 school year. A University-based evaluator has been engaged to conduct a comprehensive assessment to identify community needs and assets, in order to help the project determine how the University and community can best align resources to effect transformational change in the school. Data were collected from school staff, parents, students, and other key stakeholders. This presentation will address the strengths, challenges, and impacts of the assessment process, focusing on the attempt to make evaluation outcomes easily applicable to planning. This effort to "shrink" the bridge from research to practice ensures that those using the data to plan for a community school will be well-equipped to match identified resources to identified needs. Practical insights around conducting a community-based needs assessment in an urban elementary school will be shared.#Prek-12EducationalEvaluation #2013Conference