This report is published jointly by the Institute for Educational Leadership (Washington, DC) and the Illinois Education Research Council (IERC) as part of its Issues in Education series. The report focuses on two areas in which state policies and programs can have particular influence on school leadership: licensure, certification and accreditation requirements; and administrator training and professional development. This document is a distillation of the national conversation about school leadership and principal preparation programs. It also presents promising approaches and practices as illustrated by selected changes being made or promoted in and/or across state systems, in local school districts, in universities and colleges, and in new provider organizations across the nation. (Contains 5 boxes and 27 footnotes.)