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...
Teacher Professional Learning
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...
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...
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...
Recent Posts
From Observation to Action: What Leaders Learn by Seeing School Through Students’ Eyes
Sep 8, 2025
When I was a superintendent, one of the most meaningful things my cabinet and I did was spend a day shadowing students. Following them from class to class gave me a perspective that I could not get from reports or test scores. It showed me what school really felt like for them. Sometimes what I saw was hard to take in, and other times it was inspiring, but it always helped me understand how our schools were working, or not, for every student. Now, as CEL’s Executive Director, I am proud to lead an organization that believes strongly in the power of students’ voices. At CEL, we help leaders slow down, listen to students, and see school through their eyes.
From the Central Office to the Classroom: Student Gains in the Central Valley
Jul 24, 2025
What happens when leaders from the central office to the classroom create the space and trust for deep learning together? At the UW Center for Educational Leadership (CEL), our Principal Supervisor Professional Learning and Coaching (PSPLC) helps principal supervisors...
Q&A with Dr. Susan Enfield, UW CEL’s New Executive Director
Jun 30, 2025
Q: What initially drew you to education? Dr. Enfield: I knew from a young age that I wanted to be a teacher. From as early as age 7, I was “teaching” my stuffed animals and dolls. By the time I became a high school English teacher, I knew I was doing what I was put on...
The Essential Role of Coaches in Advancing Instructional Leadership
Jun 5, 2025
Instructional leadership is not a solo endeavor—it is a collective effort that thrives on collaboration between school leaders and instructional coaches. While principals and district leaders set the vision for high-quality teaching and learning, instructional coaches...
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...
