Philadelphia Academy of School Leaders

What Philadelphia Academy of School Leaders does

Philadelphia Academy of School Leaders (PASL) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2015 and headquartered in Center City Philadelphia. It develops, engages, and retains school leadership talent across Philadelphia's district, charter, and faith-based schools, with the explicit goal of improving student outcomes through stronger principal practice. The flagship offering is the two-year, cohort-based Neubauer Fellowship in Educational Leadership, which provides principals with intensive skill development across seven Leadership Competencies, peer networks, coaching, and applied Problem of Practice work. The broader portfolio includes the one-year Instructional Leadership Academy (co-developed with Achievement Network), Senior Fellow Programming for alumni, and targeted sub-programs such as Leading For Results, Black Educator Pipeline, Voices of Women in Leadership Collective, and Senior Fellow Institutes.

PASL does not operate a technology platform; its core "product" is high-touch professional development delivered through Summer Institutes, quarterly Professional Development Institutes, monthly coaching, school visits, and a Washington D.C. immersion. The business model is philanthropic: all programs are free to participants, and recipients of the Neubauer Fellowship and Leading For Results receive modest honoraria ($5,000 and $2,000 respectively on completion). The revenue base comprises foundation grants, corporate philanthropy, and donations, with the Neubauer Family Foundation as the largest contributor ($1M+), an Anonymous Foundation at $500K+, and several corporate and family foundations (Aramark, Brandywine, Comcast NBCUniversal, Connelly, Green Family Foundations, School District of Philadelphia) at $100K+ each. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, leveraging word-of-mouth among a network that now represents 25% of Philadelphia's active principals, signature events like Dinner with a Decision Maker, and referrals across district, charter, and faith-based school partners.

Name

Philadelphia Academy of School Leaders

Legal name

Philadelphia Academy of School Leaders, Inc.

Website

https://pasl.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Philadelphia Academy of School Leaders is a Philadelphia-based nonprofit that develops school leadership talent through its flagship Neubauer Fellowship and supporting programs, serving principals across the city's district, charter, and faith-based school sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Leadership Development Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) in Education (EDADALAD)

Keywords

• Educational leadership development
• Principal professional development
• School leadership training
• Nonprofit education services
• Fellowship cohort programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic contributions: PASL operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization funded primarily by philanthropic partners including foundations, corporations, and the School District of Philadelphia. Major funders include the Neubauer Family Foundation ($1M+), Anonymous Foundation ($500K+), and Aramark, Brandywine, Comcast NBCUniversal, Connelly, Green Family Foundations, and School District of Philadelphia ($100K+ each).
2. Donations: PASL accepts donations from individuals and organizations through its website and by check. Donations support the organization's mission of developing school leaders in Philadelphia.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Philadelphia Academy of School Leaders (PASL) is a nonprofit organization that provides cohort-based professional development programs for school principals and educational system leaders across Philadelphia. Its flagship offering is the two-year Neubauer Fellowship in Educational Leadership, complemented by the one-year Instructional Leadership Academy and ongoing Senior Fellow Programming including Leading For Results, Black Educator Pipeline, and Voices of Women in Leadership Collective. All programs are offered free of charge to participants and are grounded in a seven-competency Leadership Competencies Framework.

Product overview

Philadelphia Academy of School Leaders (PASL) is a nonprofit educational organization offering a portfolio of professional development programs for school and system leaders across Philadelphia's district, charter, and faith-based schools. The core offerings include the two-year Neubauer Fellowship in Educational Leadership (flagship program), the one-year Instructional Leadership Academy, and ongoing Senior Fellow Programming. The portfolio includes sub-programs such as Leading For Results, Senior Fellow Institutes, Black Educator Pipeline, and Voices of Women in Leadership Collective. Past programs include Leaders of Leaders, Performance Partners Program, Aspiring Assistant Superintendent Academy, and Teacher-Leader Collaborative Grants. All programs are grounded in PASL's Leadership Competencies Framework for Professional Practice.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Neubauer Fellowship in Educational Leadership PASL's flagship two-year, cohort-based professional development program for dedicated Philadelphia principals that develops critical leadership skills. Participants receive best-in-class training, build peer networks, and share strategies to achieve demonstrated results, and receive a $5,000 honorarium upon completion.
• Instructional Leadership Academy One-year program supporting Philadelphia principals with at least two years of experience to improve instructional systems and structures. Run in partnership with Achievement Network (ANet), focusing on teacher coaching, professional learning time, and data-driven instruction. Includes monthly development sessions and individualized coaching.
• Senior Fellow Programming Ongoing professional development experiences for Neubauer Fellowship alumni (Senior Fellows), including institutes, learning arcs, and specialized collectives that provide continued growth, peer networks, and engagement opportunities.
• Leading For Results Year-long accelerated learning experience for Senior Neubauer Fellows focused on improving student outcomes in ELA and Math. Includes Summer Institute, coaching, school improvement planning, and cohort collaboration. Participants receive a $2,000 honorarium and are eligible for ACT 45 Credits.
• Senior Fellow Institutes Multiple-session learning opportunities addressing topics identified by Senior Fellows as relevant to supporting their practice. Covers four priority areas: academic achievement, family/community partnership, safety/well-being, and educator recruitment/retention.
• Black Educator Pipeline Learning arc focusing on the recruitment, selection, development, and support of Black educators to deepen and expand the educator pipeline. Structured for learning within racial affinity groups and delivered in partnership with the Center for Black Educator Development and Urban Teachers Philadelphia.
• Voices of Women in Leadership Collective Partnership between PASL and the Neubauer Family Foundation empowering female education leaders through a supportive network that fosters growth, reflection, and meaningful dialogue.

Quantifiable outcome

• 92,000+ students served directly and indirectly by Fellows in 2022-2023
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and former.

• Achievement Network (ANet)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner for the Instructional Leadership Academy, providing assessment platforms and expertise. ANet supports the program design and implementation, integrating with assessment platforms used across Philadelphia schools for data-driven instruction and strategic planning.
• Temple UniversitysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Astute Network's dual enrollment programming, providing college-level opportunities for young men of color in 10th grade as part of the network's Youth Print pathway program.
• Main Line HealthsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealth partnership providing basic health screenings for families at partner schools. Partnership evolved from basic screenings to include fresh produce distribution, cooking classes, and broader health programming focused on nutrition and wellness.
• Democratic Knowledge ProjectsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in civic education initiatives supporting Fellows who designed inquiry-based curricula examining questions of power, participation, and responsibility. Part of Philadelphia's Educating for American Democracy pilot.
• America 250supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational nonpartisan movement to reinvigorate civics education. PASL Fellows serve as Pennsylvania's delegates, with students presenting democracy projects at national convenings.
• Center for Black Educator DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed by Cohort 1 Fellow Sharif El-Mekki, the Center partners with PASL on the Black Educator Pipeline program, focusing on recruitment, selection, development, and support of Black educators to deepen and expand the educator pipeline.
• Urban Teachers PhiladelphiasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Black Educator Pipeline program. Jeff Glowik, Director of Clinical Faculty for American University in partnership with Urban Teachers Philadelphia, leads white affinity groups in the program.
• Skyrocket Educator TrainingformerImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFormer program partner that developed and facilitated content and training sessions for the Performance Partners Program from 2017 through 2021-2022.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Leading Educators: Nonprofit partnering with school systems to develop teachers and school leaders toward equitable instruction. Overlaps with PASL on instructional leadership and principal coaching.
• New York City Leadership Academy: Nonprofit that develops and supports public school principals in New York City through fellowship and coaching programs. Closest functional analog to PASL, differing only by geography.
• Relay Graduate School of Education: Nonprofit graduate school offering principal and teacher leadership preparation programs. Comparable target audience of school leaders and similar professional development offerings.
• New Leaders: National nonprofit that recruits, trains, and supports school leaders and aspiring leaders across multiple U.S. urban districts. Comparable cohort-based principal leadership model.

Broad incumbents

• Center for Creative Leadership: Established global nonprofit providing leadership development across sectors including education. Comparable in providing cohort-based leadership programming to senior leaders, though much broader in scope.
• TNTP (The New Teacher Project): Large national nonprofit focused on teacher and leader effectiveness, including principal development work with districts. Broader portfolio than PASL but overlapping principal-talent mission.
• Aspen Institute Education & Society Program: Policy-oriented education program that convenes and develops education leaders nationally. Adjacent peer in leader development but more policy- and convening-focused than cohort-based.

Regional players

• National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP): National membership association for middle and high school principals offering leadership development and advocacy. Similar target audience to PASL with national rather than city-level scope.
• National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP): National membership association serving PreK-8 principals with professional learning resources. Comparable customer base of school principals but membership-model rather than cohort-fellowship.

Emerging players

• Public Impact: Education-focused nonprofit advising districts on talent pipelines and school leader development. Smaller, more advisory in nature, but comparable K-12 leadership focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/phillyschoolleaders
• Xx.com/LeadersPHL

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Philadelphia Academy of School Leaders