CEL’s yearlong, contextualized Leading for Teacher Learning helps leaders assess their current state of teacher learning and better understand what teachers need in order to improve students’ experiences. Throughout the leaders’ learning with CEL, we explore the...
Professional Learning
A Throughline of Caring
Jan 11, 2022
I spent much of 2021 engaging deeply with leaders across the country about the transformational power that school leaders hold for leading equitable school communities. What I learned is that, when positioned properly and truly empowered to lead, principals are the...
Instructional Leadership Teams: 3 Tips to Clarity
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.
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.
Your Leadership Lights the Way Forward
Jan 12, 2021
Dear partners and colleagues, This January has opened as an intense continuation of a year like no other in our collective memory. “Relentless, exhausting and humbling” is how many of you have described 2020. But when I consider your leadership this past year, very...
My role as a leader has changed — and needed to change. Here’s why.
Oct 15, 2020
“I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.” - Maya Angelou I have a confession to make: I didn’t get into education because I was excited to be a teacher. I went into education because I was eager to work for change in communities,...
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...
Ways to Lead for Instruction Right Now
Apr 20, 2020
As schools have changed dramatically over the past month, we have been inspired by what educators are doing to continue leading for instructional improvement. I spoke recently with Chris Lennox, the superintendent of Mounds View Public Schools in Minnesota. Like other...
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...
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...
Recent Posts
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.
Aligning Decision-Making with a Vision for Student Experience
Sep 9, 2024
Over this past year, I have learned with central office leaders across the country. As with many leaders we hear from, one particular network of experienced central office leaders was feeling challenged by all of the important issues and decisions coming their way,...
Leading for Equity-Driven, Student-Focused School Leader Success
May 31, 2024
To be successful, school leaders need supportive district leaders. They need a central office team that creates the conditions for equity-driven leadership, which continuously centers students and fosters a culture of continuous improvement.
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.
