ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights some of the most important lessons and deals with an overview of the context for improvement, and then the delineation of the key steps that Illinois took to create a foundation for statewide collaboration. The Illinois story is one of collaboration, engaging multiple stakeholder groups in meaningful ways. The initiative leveraged state-district collaboration focused on developing policies and practices that strengthen quality leadership and the ability of leaders to support student learning. Building ownership and buy-in through collaboration were critical to the success of the Illinois School Leadership Task Force, just as it has been critical to the success of redesign initiatives in other states. Task force members capitalized on research and development work in the field to identify key preparation program requirements. The Illinois School Leadership Task Force understood the importance of anchoring the goals of preparation to the impact of school leadership on student learning.
