The Center for Educational Leadership began in 2001 as a nonprofit service arm of the University of Washington’s College of Education. For 20 years, we’ve bridged research and practice with instructional leadership-focused frameworks and partnerships. Our work started with K-12 districts in Washington state and, under the direction of founding Executive Director Stephen Fink, expanded over time to impact partners across the country.

Coherence and alignment are critical for reaching students — so CEL has always worked at multiple levels of the education system. In the past decade, our work with leaders who supervise and support principals has resulted in numerous partnerships, including with national organizations like AASA, to offer the AASA National Principal Supervisors Academy.

In 2018, we renewed our vision and mission under the leadership of our current Executive Director, Max Silverman. This resulted in expanding our focus beyond instructional leadership to include leadership for additional factors that shape students’ social, emotional and academic development.

Today we continue to provide contextualized professional learning for district and school leaders in school systems around the country.