Her Story
About Beth
Beth Ashley is a retired education consultant and accomplished school leader with more than 44 years of experience in education before retiring in 2019. Based in Mount Vernon, Beth dedicated her career to improving student achievement, strengthening school culture, and supporting educators through leadership development and continuous improvement. She began her professional journey as a junior high school teacher before moving into staff development, where she spent 19 years working with teachers in the Lake Washington School District to strengthen instructional practices and support student success.
Beth later served as assistant principal at Stanwood High School before becoming principal of a middle school in Mount Vernon, where she led the school for nine years. When she first arrived, the school was considered failing, but under her leadership it rose into the top 5% of schools in Washington. Through building strong systems, reshaping school culture, and focusing on continuous improvement, Beth and her team significantly improved student achievement in a high-poverty community with a large population of English language learners. Her leadership style centered on visibility, collaboration, and hands-on support. Working 11- to 12-hour days, she spent much of her time in classrooms coaching teachers, partnering with families, supporting students with behavior and discipline, and collaborating with leadership teams to identify and address learning gaps. Recruiting, mentoring, and retaining exceptional teachers also became a central focus of her work.
After retiring from school administration, Beth continued to contribute to education as a consultant, partnering with principals and school leaders on school reform and continuous improvement initiatives through Beth K Ashley Consulting and AVID Principal Leadership Collaboratives. Her academic background includes advanced studies in educational leadership and a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in Arts Education from Seattle Pacific University. Today, Beth remains active in her community through volunteer work with the Children of the Valley after-school program, where she supports the organization’s administrator and leadership team. Her lifelong commitment to equity, student growth, and educator development continues to leave a lasting impact on schools and communities throughout the region.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Beth
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to building strong systems and changing school culture to impact student achievement. Working with the leadership team was my most notable achievement - we were able to transform a failing school into one in the top 5% in Washington state. I spent 11 to 12 hour days in classrooms, supporting and guiding teachers, working with students on behavior and discipline, and partnering with families so kids could be successful. We had high poverty and a large amount of ELL kids, so we all learned together how to work with those populations more effectively. A huge part of my success was recruiting and hiring really excellent teachers. I also believe deeply in the power of instructional leadership - being able to observe teachers, supervise them, and have those coaching sessions after observations to help them improve their instruction. A lot of teachers don't value that process, but I did as a teacher, and I took that with me as a principal and as a coach working with principals. It's all about leadership - making teachers feel valued, giving them support, and helping them grow. A lot of people in leadership positions are managers, not leaders, and that makes all the difference.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I received came from my principal when I was a teacher. He was actually written up by the RAND Corporation for his ability to influence instruction through teacher observation and supervision. I learned from him that when you observe teachers, supervise them, and have those coaching sessions after you've observed a teacher, that process can make a huge difference. I really believed in that, so I felt like that was a huge part of my job as a principal - to be able to work with teachers to improve their instruction. A lot of teachers kind of poo-poo the process and don't value it, but I did value that process as a teacher, and I took that with me as a principal and also as a coach with principals. I helped them self-diagnose their strengths and the areas that they needed to grow in, and then helped provide resources for them through that process.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
What has always driven me has been internal - seeing a need and finding the resources and whatever it takes for me to grow and fill that need. I'm not motivated by external validation or acknowledgement. It's the hard work that motivates me. I think it's important that you have the opportunity to make a difference - that's an important thing to do. I love connecting with people, and I'm passionate about supporting others. Right now, I'm supporting an author who's tremendous, helping her with her book and publicizing it to get her exposure. I also continue to volunteer with Children of the Valley after-school program, working with the administrator and her team. Even though I'm retired, I feel like I'm being called in other directions to continue making a difference.
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