Standards spell out clear expectations about what leaders need to know and do to improve instruction and learning – and form the basis for holding leaders accountable for results. Over the past several years, states and districts across the country have increasingly revised or added standards to encompass these knowledge and skills. Well-aligned state and district standards can provide an appropriate and effective leverage point for reform by encouraging diverse stakeholders to drive improvement efforts along a variety of fronts: licensure, program approval and candidate assessment. Under this category are the following topics: