Lead District Initiative

In 2002, the Wallace Foundation created the Leadership for Educational Achievement in Districts (LEAD) initiative, an initiative that funded 12 high-need districts who demonstrated willingness and capacity to reform its leadership practices to improve student learning. The LEAD districts are located within states participating in Wallace's State Action for Education Leadership Project (SAELP). Illinois ' LEAD District is Springfield District #186.

The goals of the LEAD Springfield initiative align with those of the IL-SAELP initiative (pdf), while also allowing the LEAD District to reform district school leadership challenges. Strategies for LEAD Springfield target school leadership development and the conditions surrounding school leaders through two breakthrough strategies designed to:

Develop, implement, and institutionalize a systemic process for succession planning throughout the district;
Systematically institutionalize the leadership lessons learned to build sustainable capacity throughout the district with school improvement planning

Questions about the LEAD Springfield initiative should be directed to Roberta Hendee, Springfield District #186.