Chapter 8: Preparing Leaders in an Era of School Turnarounds: The Promise of University/District Partnerships as a Lever for Program Improvement

School leaders face significant pressure to improve student achievement in low performing schools. This reality poses new challenges for principal preparation programs. In this study, we analyzed 40 participant interviews collected in an external program evaluation to determine how a partnership with school districts impacts university-based programs. Our analysis indicates that the partnership enabled the partners to identify shared strategic interests and that the district used its role in developing the program curriculum to influence the focus of the program. Our analysis also indicates that the partnership enabled the university faculty to cultivate a new understanding of what leadership practice means. We conclude this chapter by noting implications for the field.