The Willard R-2 School District in Missouri partnered with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to develop professional development around implementing the Common Core State Standards. Danielle Sellenriek from Willard and Diane Audsley from the state education office co-trained teachers together. This allowed the state to learn from Willard's experiences and develop statewide training materials. The partnership was mutually beneficial, with Willard gaining resources from the state and the state seeing first-hand how implementation worked at the local level. Both Sellenriek and Audsley saw the collaboration as important for effectively launching the Common Core across Missouri.