ASCD Faculty Bio

Pete Hall

Pete Hall is a dynamic educator and speaker with a proven leadership track record. In addition to teaching in three states at multiple grade levels, he served as principal of three Title I schools: Anderson Elementary School in Reno, Nevada; Sheridan Elementary School in Spokane, Washington; and Shaw Middle School in Spokane, Washington. Each of these schools earned accolades and awards for student achievement. Hall has been honored with ASCD’s Outstanding Young Educator Award and Nevada’s Martin Luther King Jr. Award, was appointed to the Nevada Governor’s Commission on Excellence in Education, and was selected to sit on the National Education Association's Great Public Schools Indicators Advisory Panel, among other recognitions.

As a self-titled professional development agent, Hall primarily focuses on capacity building—that is, building collective capacity through the cultivation of professional learning communities and building individual teacher capacity through differentiated supervision, feedback, and coaching support. He has provided professional development to leadership teams, administrators, teachers, and educators at all levels in nearly 40 states and across the globe. Hall is a veteran conference presenter and keynote speaker at dozens of national, regional, state, and local education conferences.

His published works include more than a dozen articles and six books: The Principal Influence: A Framework for Developing Leadership Capacity in Principals (ASCD, 2016), Fostering Resilient Learners: Strategies for Creating a Trauma-Sensitive Classroom (ASCD, 2016), Teach, Reflect, Learn: Building Your Capacity for Success in the Classroom (ASCD, 2015), Lead On! Motivational Lessons for School Leaders (Eye On Education, 2011), Building Teachers’ Capacity for Success: A Collaborative Approach for Coaches and School Leaders (ASCD, 2008), and The First-Year Principal (Scarecrow Education, 2004).

Hall earned an EdS in educational leadership from University of Nevada-Reno, an EdM in elementary education from Boston University, and an AB in communications from University of California-Davis. He holds a National Principal Mentor Certificate from the National Association of Elementary School Principals and is a certified trainer and coach for the association's PALS mentoring program. Hall has worked as a personal consultant, mentor, and motivational coach for school leaders, teachers, professional athletes, weekend golfers, stand-up comedians, firefighters, business executives, custodians, and more. He currently lives with his family in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. You can follow him on Twitter at @EducationHall.

Introduction to Capacity-Building with Pete Hall and Alisa Simeral