We are excited to share that Dr. Susan Enfield will be joining the team at the University of Washington Center for Educational Leadership (CEL) as our new Executive Director. A respected and visionary leader, Susan brings deep expertise in educational leadership, a...
UWCEL
The Power of Rural Leaders: Building Schools Where Students Thrive
Apr 2, 2025
We at UW CEL are excited to announce the launch of the Aspiring Leaders Project, a new three-year initiative supported by a generous grant from College Spark Washington. We’re partnering with Educational Service Districts (ESDs) to ensure that rural communities have...
Fostering inclusion from the central office to the classroom
Apr 11, 2024
Each year the University of Washington College of Education convenes a series of webinars with education thought leaders to explore how we can center equity and leverage community voice to create more inclusive school environments and communities. In April the Center for Educational Leadership Executive Director, Max Silverman, hosted a conversation with two central office leaders, Dr. Ivan Duran, Superintendent at Highline School District, and Dr. Kelly An, Assistant Superintendent at Long Beach Unified School District.
Co-creating and leading with a vision for student experience
Mar 26, 2024
In March 2024, we hosted a webinar highlighting the journey of two educational leaders in co-creating and leading through a vision for student experience and learning. Superintendent Matt Galley and middle school Assistant Principal Cristal Campos are partners from...
The Power of Centering Student Voices
Jun 6, 2023
As the academic year draws to a close, the arrival of summer offers us the opportunity to breathe and reflect. It has been a year filled with unprecedented hardships for school communities nationwide, leaving educators, administrators, and leaders feeling drained and...
Students Helping Students Share Their Stories
Mar 30, 2023
In 2019, the team at the Center for Educational Leadership (CEL) realized that as we re-envisioned our frameworks and resource materials to center student experiences, we needed to bring students more directly into our work. Working first with students from three...
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.
Small Moments, Big Growth: A Year-End Reflection
May 18, 2021
This past year demanded growth, from technical skills to mindsets, from virtually everyone in education. As the year-end approaches, we’re sharing stories of the growth we observed in our partners. We’re particularly excited to spotlight the shifts and new choices that may appear small, but signaled breakthroughs.
What Centering Student Experience Looks like
Apr 8, 2021
What does centering students look like in action? What characteristics should a leader look for as evidence of equity and learning-centered practice? In this excerpt from a recent webinar, Jose Rivera, assistant superintendent of Grandview School District, Wash.,...
Getting Better to Lead for Equity, a Webinar
Feb 11, 2021
We don't yet know what far-reaching impacts the COVID-19 pandemic has had on students. What we do know is that classrooms need to be as equitable as possible — and support rigorous learning — now. But what does that look like, especially with ongoing and sometimes...
Listening to Center Student Experience
Jan 28, 2021
After embarking on creating a “framework” that centers the experience of students, the CEL team learned that the adults at school really need to listen hard. What does listening hard look like in action? Watch this video to learn more.
What the Four Dimensions of School Leadership Looks Like in Action
Dec 17, 2020
Brandon White is the chief academic officer at South Bend Community Schools in Indiana. When working with school leaders, his approach is that "we as educators must be involved in learning ourselves." Lisa Rooney, director of framework development and support, spoke...
When students feel happy and proud — the Student Experience Story Guide
Dec 3, 2020
“My favorite day of school was when it was my birthday because everybody said hello to me, and I wish that happened every day.”— a Seattle-area student, when asked to reflect on their best school experiences For years, CEL has had frameworks around practice,...
Watch now: How we lead for equity
Oct 22, 2020
"We don’t believe that equity lives in a dimension on its own. As an effective leader, you don’t just lead for equity when you craft a vision and mission — it affects everything you do." - Michele Mason You believe in equity-driven leadership. But how do you turn...
The Pandemic Revealed Inequities — and New Ways to Address Them
Aug 18, 2020
In a “normal” school year on a “normal” school day, Stacy Thomas, the executive director of teaching and learning for Blaine School District, bounces between each of the district’s schools, which are housed on one campus. Blaine is a district in rural Washington near...
The Importance of Relationships During Distance Learning
Jun 15, 2020
As schools began to transition to a new system of distance and remote learning, the initial focus was naturally on the nuts and bolts: How will we ensure students have access to the technology they need? What video platforms and tools should we use? What’s the right...
Bringing Teams Together to Get Better – No Matter What
May 26, 2020
The COVID-19 crisis has illustrated just how vital a focus on the student experience and open lines of communication are — so student learning can continue, even with the disruptions. And that starts with our leaders at the top — leaders like Jeff Pelzel, the...
How Coaches are Improving Teaching in a Virtual Environment
May 18, 2020
The transition to distance learning has been unquestionably daunting for students, parents and educators. One side effect of the transition from chalkboards to Zoom or Teams screens has been a feeling of isolation for teachers, who are trying to navigate new...
What matters most to students and teachers for learning right now
May 4, 2020
In recent months, educators have had the daunting job of asking and answering, "What does teaching mean now?" They've had to make many impactful decisions and make them quickly — all while working together and teaching remotely. Jody DeGroot, assistant principal at...
What’s Next: Schooling or Learning?
Mar 31, 2020
By GREG SOMMERS Our current wave of school closures is yielding an unprecedented shift to online and distance learning. Some are meeting this shift with a surge of enthusiasm for innovation. Others are approaching it more cautiously. I wonder — for my own children and...
Principal as the Turning Point: EduTalks 2020
Mar 20, 2020
While the impact teachers make on learning is well-understood, there’s less appreciation for how principals can foster learning environments that empower students. In this six-minute video, Joanna Michelson, director of teacher leadership and learning at the UW Center...
Resetting leader and teacher learning with an Instructional Leadership Academy
May 20, 2019
by ANNEKE MARKHOLT We know that classrooms that are truly transformative for students require adults to work and learn differently than they typically do. We also know that the old methods of in-service professional development have failed to create lasting changes in...
What successful principals do to support teaching practice [Podcast interview]
Nov 28, 2018
In a new podcast episode from Principal Center Radio, Justin Baeder interviews the Center for Educational Leadership's Anneke Markholt and Joanna Michelson about their new book, Leading for Professional Learning: What Successful Principals Do To Support Teaching...
Developing a shared vision in instructional leadership teams
Sep 26, 2018
by SANDY AUSTIN How can a principal keep from feeling overwhelmed trying to improve teaching and learning? Form an instructional leadership team of teacher leaders to identify teaching and learning challenges in the building. Such a team builds its own instructional...
4 Steps of Inquiry That Help Principals Improve Instruction
Apr 1, 2015
by SANDY AUSTIN When I ask principals what prevents them from focusing on instructional quality in their school, the number one answer I get is: time. It’s true, time is always a concern for principals, but it is not the only one. I have found that even when...
Building Leadership Capacity
May 25, 2011
By DICK FLANARY, Senior Director of Leadership Programs and Services at the National Association of Secondary School Principals. Accountability is the mantra for today’s schools. Expectations for schools are ever increasing, and sanctions for poor performance include...
Recent Posts
5 Tips for Classroom Observing: An Educational Leader’s Guide
Apr 15, 2025
For over two decades, the University of Washington Center for Educational Leadership (CEL) has partnered with educational leaders across the country who are observing teaching and learning in classrooms. We see time and again that effective classroom observations can...
Welcoming Dr. Susan Enfield as CEL’s Next Executive Director
Apr 7, 2025
We are excited to share that Dr. Susan Enfield will be joining the team at the University of Washington Center for Educational Leadership (CEL) as our new Executive Director. A respected and visionary leader, Susan brings deep expertise in educational leadership, a...
The Power of Rural Leaders: Building Schools Where Students Thrive
Apr 2, 2025
We at UW CEL are excited to announce the launch of the Aspiring Leaders Project, a new three-year initiative supported by a generous grant from College Spark Washington. We’re partnering with Educational Service Districts (ESDs) to ensure that rural communities have...
Finding Inspiration During These Turbulent Times
Jan 31, 2025
We recognize that educators are leading through unprecedented challenges. Our hearts are heavy for the students, educators, families, and communities who have been impacted by the recent executive orders around immigration, equity, transgender rights, and more. We believe as firmly as ever that every student has the right to rigorous learning environments, schools where their agency is elevated, and classrooms where they belong and are respected.
Centering Student Experience in Learning Walks
Jan 29, 2025
Leaders are shifting instructional practices by conducting learning walks focused on students who are least well served in schools. By centering observations on focus student experiences, leaders gain actionable insights, refine feedback to teachers, and strengthen their shared understanding of how these young people are experiencing learning.
