APPLICATION PROCESS

If you have been nominated for a 2023 award, you will receive a link to the application form in August.  You will need to secure three letters of recommendation.  You will use the application to invite your recommenders to complete a letter of recommendation form on your behalf.  You will be able to see if they have been invited, have accepted and are drafting a letter, have completed their letter, or declined the invitation.  You will not be able to access the letters themselves.

An application packet will not be considered if it has fewer than three letters of recommendation. No extensions of time past the deadline will be granted to applicants or recommenders.  Please plan accordingly.

Public school nominees will be emailed a link to the Kohl Principal Leadership Award application. In order to provide all nominees an equal opportunity, they must follow all instructions in the application form. 

Nominees will be evaluated on the following:
1.  Personal educational philosophy;
2.  How they work to raise achievement for all students;
3.  Innovative projects/programs;
4.  Commitment to their community;
5.  Unrealized goals for their schools or professional development; and
6.  Positive impact on students and staff.

Each nominee must submit three letters of recommendation. Letters may come from current or former students, parents, community members, colleagues in a professional association not directly linked to the nominee’s school or district, or university or college professors.  Letters should enhance the nominee’s application by illustrating specific examples of the principal’s skills and contributions, knowledge, or attributes emphasized in the application materials.

The link below provides helpful information on how to complete your application.  Use it as a step-by-step guide.  
CLICK HERE FOR THE COMPLETE PUBLIC SCHOOL APPLICATION GUIDELINES

APPLICATION DUE DATE
Kohl Principal Leadership nominees for the 2023 award must submit their completed applications online no later than Wednesday, January 4, 2023, at 5:00:00 p.m. central time. 

SELECTION PROCESS
The Association of Wisconsin School Administrators (AWSA) will review each applicant’s packet for necessary materials and completeness. Successful 2023 applicants' materials will be forwarded to a State Selection Committee in early 2023. Representatives of the Kohl Educational Foundation, CESAs and MPS, the Wisconsin Newspaper Association, and state education-related associations serve on the State Selection Committee. The committee will score applications in late January 2023.  Applicants who are selected to receive a Leadership Award will be contacted by the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation no later than March 2023.