Within the context of national educational reform movements, Texas A&M University's College of Education has developed a collaboratively designed extended preparation program to train professionals for positions of instructional leadership in the schools, specifically in elementary curricular areas. According to the theoretical and philosophical underpinnings developed at Texas A&M, such programs should: (1) provide a basis for increasing the status of teachers; (2) provide professionalization through graduate training; (3) provide a basis for addressing the absence of focus on subject matter; and (4) prepare teachers to become instructional leaders. Descriptions are given to two extended degree programs, one in English studies emphasizing children's literature, the other in geography instruction. Special attention is given to subject matter focus and to the representation and formulation of the subject which teachers use to make subject matter comprehensible to students. The paper provides insight into steps leading to successful collaboration of university arts and sciences and education faculties to prepare instructional leaders through extended preparation programs. Fifteen references are cited. (JD)