This article addresses West Virginia's public schools, and their long struggle with student achievement levels in reading and math. Levels are significantly below the national average and there are poverty-based achievement gaps within the state. In 2013, a cross section of educators and education policy leaders from a range of experiences, professional knowledge bases, and the full gamut of institutional backgrounds, examined a range of ideas and professional critiques to enhance the quality of educators and the rigor of preparation programs. West Virginia received recommendations that included: (1) Strengthening admission criteria; (2) Establishing and enforcing high standards for candidate program matriculation and completion; (3) Establishing strong partnerships between preK-12 and higher education institutions; (4) Using employment and professional practice data to approve and improve educator preparation programs; and (5) Reviewing, identifying and enacting state-level supports. While these recommendations are being put into place, West Virginia education policymakers are also beginning to focus on revising leadership standards, which will have consequences for leadership preparation programs.