Our Story
In October of 2021, DeWitt met Michael Nelson, Assistant Executive Director of the Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA) when Michael asked Peter to give a virtual keynote for WASA. A few months later, after beginning to develop a partnership, they along with Chris Beals (project coordinator for WASA) created the Instructional Leadership Network (ILN) for WASA.
As the brainchild of Nelson, the ILN was a 2-year, monthly, hybrid professional learning journey specifically designed for Directors of Teaching and Learning from across the state of Washington. This hybrid approach resonated with Peter, because of the hybrid approach he had taken in his coaching and facilitation work. However, Michael and Peter constantly discussed ways to go deeper with the learning they could provide to teachers and leaders.
Our Mission
The mission of the Instructional Leadership Collective is to help educators develop their internal and external self-awareness as leaders, foster human interconnectedness, and develop collective efficacy through ongoing professional learning so they are inspired to be their best selves. #LEAD COLLECTIVELY
That mission centers around offering tailored, research-based, experience driven professional learning through short-term (one or two-day workshops) and long-term monthly, hybrid partnerships. Whether it’s through monthly coaching or learning sessions focused on strategic planning, leadership or fostering collective leader efficacy, we want to work alongside you collectively. Think of us as boutique and not big box.
When you contact the ILC, you will receive a response from Peter, Michael or both of us. That is purposeful. Our need is to not be up on a stage telling you what you need to do when you go back to your classroom, school building or district. Our need is to work collectively with you; help you understand your impact while we focus on our own impact as well.
Why We Come Together
In the Spring of 2023, Peter and Michael began writing a book together for Corwin Press, which is called Leading with Intention: How School Leaders Can Unlock Deeper Collaboration and Drive Results (May. 2024).
Through their writing they began to have deeper discussions about how they wanted to provide professional learning. The reason for these conversations was due to the overwhelming number of times educators would attend workshops and not know exactly why they were there.
Whether it’s leadership coaching, a year-long hybrid approach to leadership team professional learning, or facilitating one-day workshops,
DeWitt and Nelson focus on two fundamental questions, which are:
- How do the actions we take impact student learning in a positive way?
- How do we evaluate our own impact?
How We Come Together
DeWitt and Nelson focus on 3-areas of need during their sessions. What does the leader or teacher leader need to be successful? What does their team at school need to be successful? How can we become so interconnected as a group that we foster a learning collective together, regardless of our positions or what schools or districts we may work in?
That takes collective efficacy, which is when a school or district leadership team’s ability to develop a shared understanding and engage in joint work that includes evaluating the impact they have on the learning of adults and students in a school.
Partnership
Peter and Michael facilitate workshops around a variety of leadership topics, including leading with intention, leadership self-awareness, instructional leadership, collective efficacy, and de-implementation. Additionally, they co-host Corwin's Leaders Coaching Leaders podcast, and in June 2024 they began co-blogging Education Week's Finding Common Ground blog.
Who Benefits When We Are Together?
Lastly, Michael and Peter want to have a positive impact on all of the educators and leaders who engage with any of the ILC professional learning options and strategic planning sessions. They want students to benefit from that learning as well.
However, there needs to also be a benefit to others who may not even be in the room, and that is where ILC Giving becomes the tiny bow on the ILC package. Michael and Peter donate a percentage of their salaries to non-profit organizations that are in alignment to the core values of the Instructional Leadership Collective such as Micah’s Miles and Plateau Outreach Ministries (see links below to these organizations).
In addition to traveling with Micah the Mighty Marathoner picture book to give as a gift when they are presenting, they also use Seattle Chocolates, a woman owned business, to share as gifts. They have each begun a student scholarship in memory of important family members. Peter's sponsored scholarship is in honor of his sister, Patricia. Michael's sponsored scholarship is in honor of his parents Mary and Bob Nelson.
Professional learning should always focus on how they can pay it forward in different ways that will benefit the community.
