This article addresses how teacher preparation programs can best respond to the broad, complex calls for reform in ways that are locally meaningful and honor academic integrity, but that are also true to the intent of the reform mandates. The authors begin with an overview of some of the federal and state initiatives that are presenting challenges for schools and teacher preparation programs. They then look at "lessons learned" from several teacher preparation programs that have responded to reform mandates by developing programs that increase collaboration between generalists and specialists. These examples will show how in some instances teacher preparation programs respond to reform initiatives in a piecemeal fashion by continually adding courses as new mandates occur, while other programs make revisions with limited lasting effects, and still others rework their entire program to accommodate new mandates guided by a shared vision of truly collaborative teacher preparation.