Becoming an Effective Leader Series (For leaders in years 3-5)
Please note BEL is canceled for the 2026-27 school year.
If you are interested in being notified of the next Becoming an Effective Leader series, please email AWSP’s Dameon Brown.
Effective leadership is not about having all the answers. It is about continually growing, adapting, and learning alongside others in service of students, staff, and school communities.
The first few years of school leadership are often spent learning how to navigate the demands of the role. But once you’ve built a foundation, a different challenge emerges: how do you continue growing as a leader while managing the complexity of leading a school every day?
AWSP’s Becoming an Effective Leader Series is designed for principals and assistant principals who are ready to move beyond day-to-day management and deepen their impact on school culture, systems, instruction, and student success.
Grounded in the AWSP Leadership Framework and guided by collaborative inquiry, this three-part series creates space to step back from the urgency of the work, reflect on your leadership practice, and focus on the long-term growth of your school community. Participants engage in meaningful dialogue, examine real leadership challenges, and develop practical strategies that can be implemented immediately.
One of the most valuable aspects of this experience is the opportunity to learn alongside other experienced school leaders from across Washington. Leadership can become isolating, especially as responsibilities increase. The Becoming an Effective Leader Series creates a professional learning community where principals and assistant principals can share ideas, challenge assumptions, problem-solve together, and learn from the experiences of colleagues facing similar complexities.
Throughout the series, participants will strengthen their understanding of culture, systems, and leadership practice while building a network of trusted peers who can serve as thought partners long after the sessions conclude.
What are Leaders Saying?
“BEL has been really helpful connecting me with colleagues from across the state who are experiencing the same things I experience. It helped me broaden my network to connect with people who might have other ideas around how to tackle the work.”
— Elementary Principal
“I would highly recommend BEL! I found it extremely helpful getting myself going during my first year at a new school. I’m happy to have had the opporutnity to participate now in my third year.”
— Middle Level Principal
