The Delaware Department of Education, in collaboration with the Delaware Academy for School Leadership at the University of Delaware, has been the recipient of Wallace Foundation funding since 2000 as part of the foundation's initiative to develop and share ideas for strengthening education leadership. The grant has enabled the state education agency to develop a coordinated system for school leadership. The initial work included the approval of the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium standards as Delaware's school leader standards by the state board of education. Next was the alignment of school leadership programs to the school leader standards. In the process of redesigning the preparation programs at Delaware's three universities, various parties realized the state no longer could leave the selection and training of principals solely to higher education. To connect professors with school district practitioners, a committee of representatives from schools, district offices, the state education agency and universities was assembled at the Delaware Academy for School Leadership to address identification and preparation of school leaders in Delaware. The author discusses how Delaware is working with school districts to devise protocols for filling vacancies that fit real needs.