ISU Center Receives $2 Million Grant

Date: 7/30/07
Contact: Erika Hunt

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) CEO Arne Duncan said aspiring principal candidates are not prepared for the realities and demands of being a principal, particularly in a district as complex as CPS. The statewide problem will be addressed by Illinois State University’s Center for the Study of Education Policy through a $2 million grant from The Wallace Foundation to develop a Cohesive Leadership System (CLS) in the state.

The CLS grant is one of the cornerstones of the Foundation’s long-term commitment to developing and sharing innovative ideas and practices that can help make leadership a powerful catalyst to improving the learning of all the nation’s children, especially those with the greatest needs. The grant will enable Center staff in the development of standards that spell out what principals need to know and do to improve instruction and learning, training so principals have the skills to meet the standards, and conditions and incentives that affect principals’ long-term success. The goal of the CLS is to accelerate school leadership reform initiatives through coordinated work by the state and districts.

Illinois is one of 22 states and 15 school districts funded by The Wallace Foundation to strengthen the preparation and professional development of school leaders. Six of the 22 states were invited to apply for the CLS grant because they were deemed to have the greatest potential to make significant further progress toward the cohesive linkage of state and district policies that support principals.

The grant will fund work with CPS, the Springfield School District, the Large Unit District Association (LUDA), the Consortium for Education Change (CEC), the State Board of Education, the Board of Higher Education, and other state policymakers and Illinois educators in pushing for state outcomes-based standards for principal preparation programs, greater accountability mechanisms for all 29 Illinois principal preparation programs, and strengthened professional development for principals, particularly at the high school level.

The Center for the Study of Educational Policy has been working with The Wallace Foundation for the past six years on this education leadership project. They have implemented policy changes and spearheaded reform legislation through Public Act 094-1039, which required mandatory mentoring for all new principals in the state, among other provisions. This grant will continue to build on past successes.

The Wallace Foundation seeks to enable institutions to expand learning and enrichment opportunities for all people by sharing effective ideas and practices. Its three current objectives are:

• Strengthen education leadership to improve student achievement
• Enhance after-school learning opportunities
• Build appreciation and demand for the arts

For more information and research on these and other related topics, please visit the Wallace Knowledge Center at www.wallacefoundation.org.