Various dimensions of this national education and leadership program are explored by this case study that presents both successful and unsuccessful aspects of its components. The major objective of the National Program for educational Leadership (NPEL) is to establish a national consortium and national network of educational leaders who will work together to develop a different way of identifying and training educational leaders. Among the program elements that are addressed are the following: the environment and psychological set of the core group working with NPEL, the hypotheses tested by NPEL, the minor foci of NPEL, the recruitment process, and the evaluation history of the program. From a micro perspective the program is not judged successful and its more severe critics accuse it of rampant dilettantism and loss of focus. However, from a micro perspective NPEL accomplishes far more than the recruitment selection and training of men and women whom it serves, as it is an effort in institution building, not solely a leadership development program. The interactions and discussions between the program officers and the evaluators and the reviews expressed by each side demonstrates one of the more intriguing themes in the program's history: the inevitable conflict between dream and program. (Author/AM)