Michaela Fray (Quincy Public Schools), Mary Kay Scharf (Illinois State University), and Paty Huizar (Greely Center for Catholic Schools) presented “IL-PARTnering for Success: Perspective from the Coordinators” at the Teacher Quality Programs (TQP) Summit June 14–15, 2018, in Washington, D.C. based on their work with the Illinois Partnerships Advancing Rigorous Training (IL-PART) Grant.

The IL-PART Grant is developing meaningful partnerships between Illinois school districts and university principal preparation programs to build leadership capacity and improve student outcomes. One vital factor to the success of these partnerships has been the intentional role of the IL-PART Coordinator. These coordinators serve as the lynchpin providing quality, personalized support to districts, principal candidates, and universities while building systems that will provide sustainability. This interactive session provided attendees a chance to learn more about the important role of the IL-PART Coordinators. Participants learned about tools they can use in their own contexts to plan and enhance partnerships for principal preparation.