Instructional leadership teams (ILTs) can play a key role in creating more equitable schools that give all students the opportunity to thrive. But in our work with schools around the country, we often see a missed opportunity for teams to build clear, shared purpose...
Joanna Michelson
Teacher professional learning: A shift in beliefs is key to advancing access and equity for students.
Jun 17, 2019
What does transformative teacher professional learning look and sound like? This case example — which was written by my colleague Renee Gallagher and published in the May/June 2019 issue of NAESP's Principal magazine — illustrates how a shift in beliefs is key to...
Call for teacher professional learning collaborators due May 17, 2019
Apr 29, 2019
The University of Washington Center for Educational Leadership is looking for up to two partners who are eager to collaborate intensively as they engage in the transformative work of leading for teacher professional learning. To that end, we encourage you to consider...
Announcing a new approach to teacher professional learning that addresses persistent challenges of student learning
Apr 15, 2019
The University of Washington Center for Educational Leadership is pleased to announce the launch of a new line of service, Leading for Teacher Professional Learning. Unlike traditional investments in teacher professional development that have not consistently yielded...
We’re featuring teacher professional learning success stories at the Summer Leadership Institute 2018
Jun 28, 2018
For the Summer Leadership Institute, we have lined up a dynamic panel of speakers who will share professional learning success stories from their school districts. Rebekah Kim, Paula Montgomery, and Jose Rivera are instructional leaders who inspire us, and we think...
What have been your most successful teacher professional learning opportunities?
Mar 21, 2018
Teachers learn all the time: from students, from trial and error, and from each other. We know that as teachers strive to create powerful learning experiences for all the students in front of them, they are constantly questioning and experimenting with their teaching...
5 tips for setting up and sustaining coaching in your district
Apr 28, 2016
I recently visited two elementary school instructional coaches in a district where we are providing support to all K-12 coaches. Rebecca used to be a teacher at the school and is now in her first year as a full-time coach. Cheryl is in her second year as a...
How Principals Can Support Teachers in Assessing Goals Midyear
Dec 7, 2015
For teachers and principals, the run-up to the winter break can seem like a mad dash to a (first) finish line. Time is short and instructional improvement goals slip down the priority list. What to do? Mark your calendar for January. The time after the winter break is...
How to Find the Right Data to Support Professional Goal Setting
Aug 20, 2015
When teachers return to their classrooms in fall, one question at the top of their minds is this: How do I know where my students’ skills are, and how can I adjust my instructional practice to meet their needs? Setting professional goals anchored to the needs of...
How to Analyze Complex Texts For Your Teaching – Step by Step
May 21, 2015
At a recent high school English department professional development session in our partner district in Avoyelles, La. I observed teachers reading Elie Wiesel's Nobel lecture, "Hope, Despair, and Memory", a text that is included in the ninth grade curriculum. It is a...
How to Help Teachers Find an Area of Focus
Apr 30, 2015
Teachers have always set goals for their students and for their teaching. But what used to be a fairly open-ended conversation in the principal's office or staff room has now become a critical component of a teacher's professional development. Driven by student and...
Recent Posts
Humanizing School and District Leadership Through Student Experience
Nov 18, 2021
What would happen if school and district leaders used students’ experiences and perspectives as the basis for their leadership? In CEL’s partnerships with school systems, we ask leaders to focus on the experiences of students furthest from justice in their schools and...
Instructional Leadership Teams: 3 Tips to Get Clear for Students’ Sake
Oct 27, 2021
Instructional leadership teams (ILTs) can play a key role in creating more equitable schools that give all students the opportunity to thrive. But in our work with schools around the country, we often see a missed opportunity for teams to build clear, shared purpose...
Looking Back to Lean Forward: CEL’s 20-Year Journey
Sep 30, 2021
Dear partners and colleagues, In 2003, I was a second-year principal. At the time, my school was best known for its low standardized test scores and discipline rates. I thought that my general leadership ability was sufficient to lead a dramatic school turnaround....
“I Really Wanted to Get to School on Time”: When Listening Guides Your Leadership
Jun 24, 2021
“Let your curiosity be greater than your fear.”- Pema Chodron “Our unconscious bias whispers, ‘We already have an anti-racist school.’ Our student data shouts, ‘You are not there yet!’ We must embrace the idea that we are all novices in the pursuit of creating a...
Celebrating Growth and Courage
Jun 3, 2021
As the year-end approaches, we’re sharing stories of the growth we observed in our partners — even as they grappled with intense day-to-day demands on their time and energy. This post is the second in a series of three stories.