Crete, Greece. It explores the problem of sustainability from a systems point of view within the context of the Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative-an initiative launched by the US Congress in 1999 to fund a multifaceted response to the difficult challenge of youth violence. A grounded theory of sustainability is proposed, based on the design of social systems, as an alternative to the current political emphasis on classical reductionist science-based approaches to school reform. Further, insight into transformational leadership opportunities through evidencebased social systems design strategies is offered. This paper represents an initial attempt to apply these principles within the context of school-community partnerships and sustainability. Subsequent work will provide further exploration and development.