Washington State Leadership Academy

Our Purpose: 

The Washington State Leadership Academy (WSLA) is focused on higher student achievement for every child by:

• Engaging school administrators in transformative leadership practices
• Building and supporting strong, effective teams to solve complex issues related to teaching and learning.
• Heightening education leaders' awareness and ability to self-assess the personal characteristics and practices that lead to high performing organizations.

The Academy Believes:

• Transformative leaders can build collaborative learning systems that promote powerful teaching and learning practices.
• Improved student achievement for all students will be the result of systems that keep learning for every student as their central work.

Program Delivery:

• District-selected leadership teams will join with other districts to form Leadership Learning Teams, which will attend Academy seminars within their ESD region through out the year.
• Academy staff and coaches will organize and facilitate seminars.
• Coaches will support each team's work by spending time in the districts and schools.
• Job-alike learning opportunities, as breakout-groups from district teams, will be provided.

Timeline:

2008-2009 Pilot Phase of the Academy
Spring '08, Pilot Participants Sought
August '08, Pilot Seminars Begin
2009-2010 First Full Year Cohorts Begin

How to Get Involved:

Express your interest to your district superintendent and discuss district team composition.
Your superintendent then conveys team interest to the local ESD. After that, the ESD superintendent needs to contact the WSLA staff with a proposal.
Approximately three ESDs will be selected to participate in the Academy's Pilot Phase, based on proposals submitted by interest ESDs.

Contact Information:

Washington State Leadership Academy
1021 8th Avenue SE
Olympia WA  98501
360.357.7951

Dr. Dale Kinsley, Director
dkinsley@waleadershipacademy.org
360.510.6802

Merrilou Harrison, Leadership Learning Specialist
mharrison@waleadershipacademy.org
509.910.7365