Educational administration faculty from five public higher education institutions in New Mexico formed a consortium to address the need for effective educational leaders in rural school districts. Members established the New Mexico Partners for Educational Leadership (PEL), composed of faculty from the five universities, leading educational administrators from New Mexico's rural school districts, selected school board members, and high-ranking officials from the State Department of Education. They developed the following strategies: (1) establishment of regional "pools" of rural school districts to facilitate the identification of potential leaders and provide supervision and subsequent placement; (2) development of a state-wide assessment center for selecting candidates of the preparation program; (3) professional development for preparation program faculty members; and (4) establishment of common standards for admissions and programmatic expectations across the five universities' preparation programs. During the next phase (1991-1992), faculty will deliver programs for candidates and establish cooperative arrangements for site supervision and placement in administrative positions. Concerns for the future are the cohesiveness of PEL, funding sources, availability of candidates, cooperation among university faculty, and support of school districts. (KS)