In Preparing Principals for Pre-K in Illinois: The Prairie State’s Story of Reform and Implementation, New America explores Illinois’s shift from a general administrative license, called a “Type 75” license, to a “PK–12 Principal Endorsement.” This brief includes both a history of the reform efforts and a look at how implementation has fared nearly a decade after the legislation was signed into law. It also offers lessons and recommendations for other states looking to follow Illinois’s lead and ensure principals are equipped to lead pre-K and early grade classrooms. The timeline in Figure 1 presents an overview of the road to reform from 2000 to 2010 and key developments in implementation since then. While there are many important components of Illinois’s reform, this brief focuses on how different principal preparation programs incorporated early education via curricula and field experiences. (author abstract)