Alicia Peletz

Alicia Peletz is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Applied Coaching for Projects (ACP), a professional learning organization that helps schools and districts translate learner-centered values into sustainable systems for teaching and learning. For more than 15 years, Alicia has partnered with educators and leaders across the country to strengthen project-based learning, actionable assessment, instructional coaching, restorative practices, culturally responsive curriculum, and transformational leadership.

From 2014 to 2026, Alicia served on PBLWorks’ National Faculty, coaching thousands of educators and school leaders on the conditions, practices, and systems required for high-quality project-based learning. She mentored instructional coaches and facilitators and helped develop professional learning experiences focused on PBL coaching, restorative practices, sustained inquiry, and formative assessment for the organization.

Through PBLWorks’ partnership with Lucas Education Research, Alicia also contributed to Knowledge in Action, helping develop curriculum and professional learning while coaching AP U.S. Government teachers. Researchers at the University of Southern California independently evaluated the initiative as part of a large-scale randomized controlled study of project-based AP courses across five urban school districts. The study found that the proportion of students earning a qualifying AP score was 8 percentage points higher in project-based classrooms after one year, increasing to an estimated 10 percentage points after teachers’ second year with the curriculum and its professional learning supports.

As CEO of ACP, Alicia works with leadership teams to move beyond one-time professional development and build the coaching structures, implementation plans, and organizational capacity that sustain meaningful change. She co-authored Connecting Together, SEL Connected, and HQPBL Connected, and writes regularly about professional learning, assessment, school leadership, project-based learning, and restorative systems.

Alicia holds a master’s degree in history and a Certificate of Advanced Study in School and Building Leadership from SUNY Brockport. Based in Rochester, New York, she combines strategic systems thinking with classroom practicality and adult learning to help schools create the conditions for students and their communities to thrive.