AWSP provides a strong and respected voice on state and nationwide issues affecting K–12 schools and principals. We vigilantly monitor and research trends impacting our members’ profession, reputation, and practice. We value our members who travel to Olympia and Washington, D.C. to provide the principal’s perspective.
We need your voice! There are lots of way to participate in the process, from sending emails and letters to forming relationships with your elected officials.
Join our PAC to help supports our advocacy efforts. The PAC raises and spends money to support candidates and issues important to the principalship and to K–12 education.
All your advocacy news in one place.
Whether the School Leader Paradigm, our AWSP Leadership Framework, or our collections of leadership tools and resources, we're here to help you level up your leadership.
Principals have one of the most important, rewarding, and demanding jobs on the planet. You need all the support you can get, so we're here for you. At AWSP, our goal is to be the first place you turn to or the first place you call when you need help principaling (yes, that's a word...because we said so).
Here are just a few of the ways we grow, support, and sustain school leaders.
One size doesn't fit all, so we provide a number of different ways for principals to stay sharp and improve their skills. We offer content for interns, assistant principals, and principals in all stages of their career, in person and online. From our cohort-based Launching Principal Leadership and Building Effective Leadership networks to our video workshops, we've got something bound to be up your alley.
Learn More
Principals and APs are the lead learners in their school. Our best-in-class pro learning provides something for each step of your career.
Face-to-face learning to help you network and grow with your colleagues.
With our online, hybrid, and on-demand offerings, we've got you covered anytime, anywhere, and on any device.
Knowledge is power and we want the most powerful principals in the world. We believe every student deserves an informed, connected, and engaged principal — and we’re here to help. AWSP strives to be the principal’s best friend. If it’s a resource or information you need, we want to be the first place you look. Learn More
We have to know you to serve you. We keep our finger on the pulse of the principalship with the help of our boards, committees, and advisory councils, which represent our state’s broad geographic and cultural diversity.
Stay connected, informed, and engaged.
Find us on your favorite platform.
At AWSP, we exist to support principals and assistant principals, and the principalship, in the education of each and every student. We believe strong leaders create strong schools and strong students. Founded in 1972, AWSP has been a leading voice in education for decades, representing principals, assistant principals, and principal interns.
Learn more about how we support school leaders, who partners with us, and our AWSP team.
With the highest membership percentage of any principals' association in the country, we're proud to support leaders making a difference across our state.
AWSP is part of a family of organizations working to support students and educators across the state.
More Posts
Not too long ago, our Executive Director Dr. Scott Seaman wrote his "I Am More Than a Test Score" blog. Along those same lines, AWSL Director James Layman has a couple of quotes in this piece from Knowable Magazine.
When poor, Black or brown students score lower, it’s not exactly the tests’ fault, says Eric Grodsky, a sociologist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison who analyzed the links between standardized testing and socioeconomic status in the Annual Review of Sociology. That’s because scores reflect disparities in students’ lives before testing. Wealthy students, for example, might have benefited from parents who had more time to read to them as toddlers, all the way through to being able to afford to take both tests, multiple times, to obtain the best score. Other kids might not even be aware they’re supposed to take a test or that it’s something they can prepare for, says James Layman, director of the Association of Washington Student Leaders, headquartered in Randle, Washington. Students from poorer schools tell him they often don’t hear about test prep or other opportunities, or they lack the time to take advantage of them because they’re busy with jobs or caring for younger siblings. To try to level the field, in 2016 the College Board teamed up with the nonprofit Khan Academy to offer free online SAT prep materials, but even that requires an Internet connection at home and the time and space to take advantage of the program.
Read the full article.