Illinois State’s Center for the Study of Education Policy is using a five-year, $4.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to support the Illinois Partnerships Advance Rigorous Training (IL-PART) project. Center staff Erika Hunt and Alicia Halle received the School Leadership Program grant in 2013.

IL-PART is a collaborative effort partnering high-needs school districts with universities to improve principal preparation and development in Illinois. The grant assists IL-PART in making a positive impact on student learning in three key ways: building leadership capacity in high-needs districts through effective partnerships between P-12 and higher education, sharing findings and emerging best practices in principal preparation and partnership development, and preparing highly qualified school principals for high-needs districts.