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California Healthy Kids Survey Program Staff

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Sean Slade

picture of Sean Slade

Office Location:
 Oakland, CA
300 Lakeside Drive, 25th Floor
Oakland, California 94612-3540
Title: Research Associate
Email: sslade@wested.org

Phone: 510.302.4202

WestEd Research Associate Sean Slade manages WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) for Northern California. Housed within the agency's Health and Human Development Program (HHDP), CHKS is the predominant youth risk and resilience survey in California surveying approximately 750,000 students annually. This survey has led to a better understanding of the relationship between students' health behaviors and academic performance, and is frequently cited by state policymakers and in the media.

Slade is responsible for the management of the Oakland CHKS office as well as administration, implementation, and usage of the survey results across Northern California. Slade is also a key member of the HHDP's Center for Resilience and Youth Development based in Oakland. The Center researches and promotes policies, practices, and processes that meet the developmental needs of the whole child and foster resilience, well-being, and success. Slade in particular works with local education agencies to expand the understanding and use of the CHKS Resilience/Connectedness data to better serve both school improvement initiatives and student well-being.

In addition to the CHKS, Slade has worked on a number of other WestEd HHDP projects, including the California Student Survey, California Tobacco Student Survey, California's Pupil Nutrition Act Evaluation Study, San Mateo Obesity Project, Dairy Council Nutrition Project, and the Career Technology Education Study.

Slade has more than 19 years of experience in education. His areas of expertise and interest include fostering resilience and the importance of school connectedness for improving the lives of youth.

He was sought to help launch Ventura County's CAREs (Creating Asset Rich Environments for children and youth) program; has worked in collaboration with several Bay Area counties regarding student health, well-being, connectedness, and gang involvement; and assisted with the publication of Beyond Zero Tolerance (Drug Policy Alliance, 2007).

Slade has published educational articles in both the United States and Australia, including recently coauthoring, with WestEd's Bonnie Benard, a chapter in the forthcoming Handbook of Positive Psychology in the Schools.

Prior to joining WestEd, Slade was the Senior Education Officer for the New South Wales Department of Education and Training, providing professional development and overseeing Drug Education implementation in Sydney, Australia's public schools. He has been a Curriculum Developer, Head of Department (Physical Education), and a teacher with a background that encompasses four continents and five countries.

Slade is a member of the Center for Resilience and Youth Development, the California Statewide Task Force for Effective Drug Education, and the Australia Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation.

He received a BA and a MEd in education from the University of South Australia.