Ascend Membership
The $19/month membership for educators who want to go further — without leaving the classroom. Career and professional advancement tools, the inside track on landing the job, and a community of educators.
A Membership for Educators · $19/month
Ascend
Advance without leaving the classroom.
The tools, the inside track, and the community to grow your career as an educator—whether you want to lead where you are, step into a new role, or land your next job.
Join Ascend »$19/month · cancel anytime
Teaching is an unusually flat career. A first-year teacher and a thirty-year veteran often share the same title, the same pay scale, and the same responsibilities—and the only way to “advance” seems to be leaving the classroom altogether.
It doesn't have to be that way. Teacher leadership is instructional leadership. You can grow your skills, your impact, and your career right where you are—and when you're ready for a new role, you can go after it with confidence.
Ascend gives you the tools to do exactly that.
Who Ascend Is For
Teachers who want to grow
Build your capacity and step into teacher leadership—without leaving the work you love.
Aspiring administrators
Get the inside track on landing your first leadership role.
Leaders eyeing a move
Already an administrator? Prepare for your next role at a higher level.
What You Get
Everything in one membership, for $19/month
The “Know Your Worth” calculator
See what your time is actually worth—and stop giving it away. A ten-second eye-opener that changes how you value your professional contributions.
The inside track on getting hired
Practice against the actual rubrics hiring committees use to score candidates, plus interview tools, résumé and cover-letter templates, and 52 practice interview questions.
Tools to grow your practice and your leadership
Self-assessment tools built on Justin's frameworks—map your professional practice, find your next step, and build the case for teacher leadership at your school.
The shows
The Instructional Leadership Show and Ascend Live—practical guidance you can put to work right away.
A community of educators going further
Connect with peers and with Justin in the Ascend community—a place to share what's working, ask questions, and keep growing alongside other ambitious educators.
More Than a Membership
Your time has real value. Your leadership is real leadership. And you shouldn't have to leave the classroom—or sacrifice endlessly for free—to be recognized as the professional you are.
When you join Ascend, you're not just getting tools. You're joining a movement to professionalize teaching—to unflatten the career and give educators the recognition, the pathways, and the respect they deserve.
When you're ready for more
When you step into administration, the Instructional Leadership Association picks up where Ascend leaves off—with the full leadership toolkit for observing, coaching, and evaluating teachers. ILA includes everything in Ascend, so it's a natural next step when the time is right.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: I'm not trying to become an administrator. Is Ascend still for me?
Absolutely. Ascend is built for educators who want to grow where they are. You don't have to leave the classroom to advance, lead, and increase your impact—that's the whole point.
Q: Do I get one-on-one coaching?
Ascend is not a one-on-one coaching program. You get the tools, the shows, and a community where you can connect with peers and with Justin—but it doesn't include personal, individual coaching sessions.
Q: How is Ascend different from the Instructional Leadership Association (ILA)?
Ascend is focused on your growth and career advancement. ILA adds the leadership toolkit administrators use to develop and evaluate other teachers. ILA includes everything in Ascend, so you can upgrade whenever you're ready.
Q: How much does it cost, and can I cancel?
Ascend is $19/month, and you can cancel anytime.
Q: Who's behind Ascend?
Justin Baeder, PhD, Director of The Principal Center, author of Now We're Talking!, Mapping Professional Practice, and Cultivate & Activate, and host of Principal Center Radio.
Cancel anytime