http://www.wested.org/ Recently posted WestEd articles, events, and content. http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/rs/1227 Standing at the midpoint between schools and state and federal governments, districts have the difficult yet crucial task of implementing state and federal programs and policies – as well as their own existing programs and practices – to improve academic achievement. This study, produced by the <a href="http://www.cacompcenter.org/cs/cacc/print/htdocs/cacc/home.htm">California Comprehensive Center at WestEd</a>, examines the planning and implementation of district improvement efforts in general... Tue, 15 May 2012 15:06:37 PDT http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/pj/594 Read about WestEd's role in a Bay Area (CA) partnership designed to help more traditionally underserved students successfully enter and complete community college. Tue, 15 May 2012 10:18:08 PDT http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/we_news/697 California schools receiving School Improvement Grant (SIG) funding made big strides in their first year of reform implementation, according to a recent study. Results from a University of Virginia study show that the schools closed 23 percent of the gap between their Academic Performance Index scores and the state's target score of 800. <a href="http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/u/123">Fred Tempes</a>, Director of the <a href="http://www.cacompcenter.org/cs/cacc/print/htdocs/cacc/home... Wed, 09 May 2012 10:01:52 PDT http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/rs/1229 WestEd's English learners and literacy catalog features evidence-based products and services designed to improve student learning and achievement.<br><br>Topics include language development, differentiated instruction, bridging cultures, family engagement, evaluation, and accountability.<br><br>Order your free copy today. Tue, 08 May 2012 16:07:17 PDT http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/rs/1228 WestEd's science and mathematics catalog features evidence-based products and services designed to improve student learning and achievement.<br><br>Topics include pre-algebra, earth sciences, academic language development, differentiated instruction, and science assessment.<br><br>Order your free copy today. Tue, 08 May 2012 16:04:16 PDT http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/serv/154 <p><a href="http://www.wested.org/tracker/">WestEd Tracker</a> is an online support system that offers education agencies and organizations a streamlined process to monitor federal and state categorical program compliance and track the implementation and progress of district and school improvement efforts.</p> <p>Tracker allows Local Education Agencies (LEAs) and State Education Agencies (SEAs) to integrate multiple plans and programs into one all-inclusive plan, visible to everyone involved.... Tue, 08 May 2012 09:46:57 PDT http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/rs/1226 Teachers and principals alike play key roles in improving education. That's why it's crucial for school districts to have in place effective systems for evaluating their performance. This brief, produced by <a href="http://relwest.wested.org/">Regional Educational Laboratory West (REL West)</a>, analyzes data from California's Teacher and Principal Evaluation Survey, taken by more than 90 percent of the state's local education agencies (LEAs). The California Department of Education and the Int... Fri, 04 May 2012 15:40:25 PDT http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/rs_press/147 WestEd's <i><a href="http://we-mss.weebly.com/">Making Sense of Science</i></a> and <i><a href="http://www.wested.org/cs/we/query/q/1219">R&D Alert</i></a>&#174; have been named as finalists for the national AEP Awards from the Association of Educational Publishers. Tue, 01 May 2012 15:34:36 PDT http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/we_news/696 Two years ago, Michigan received $119 million in School Improvement Grant (SIG) money from the U.S. Department of Education. Did the funding help improve student achievement? The state turned to WestEd to find out. <br/><br/> Michigan hired WestEd to conduct a three-year evaluation of its SIG efforts. For the first annual <a href="http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/rs/1224">report</a> cited in this article, WestEd researchers studied 18 districts and 28 schools.<br/><br/> Researchers found a num... Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:44:45 PDT http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/rs/1225 Many schools are required to gather student data and use data to inform instruction. But are educators formally trained in how to do this? Not necessarily.<p>A must-have for teachers, school and district administrators, school psychologists, and other educators, this book includes cutting-edge advances in research and theory on teaching and learning. <p>The authors' integrated model demonstrates how to establish a data culture and transform quantitative and qualitative data into actionable knowl... Fri, 27 Apr 2012 11:17:07 PDT http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/we_e/1251 <a href="http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/cs/smu/view/e/5213?WestEd">Register for the The Common Core: The Foundation of the RtI Framework webinar.</a> At the heart of the new Common Core State Standards is a focus on higher expectations and higher cognitive demands for all students. School districts must provide rigorous and relevant instruction to ensure that ALL students are on a path towards college and career readiness. How do school districts transition to the Common Core State Standa... Thu, 26 Apr 2012 13:31:21 PDT http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/we_news/695 Life outside school greatly impacts what happens in the classroom, including a student's decision to drop out of school. <br/><br/> <a href="http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/u/235">BethAnn Berliner</a>, Senior Research Associate at WestEd, has worked with students on the edge for more than 20 years. In this online forum from Learning Matters, Berliner suggests adding empathy for homeless and foster children to our tools for preventing students from dropping out. <br/><br/> "How can we blame a ... Wed, 25 Apr 2012 10:34:28 PDT http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/rs/1224 This report summarizes implementation trends for the first year of WestEd's three-year evaluation of the 18 districts and 28 schools in Michigan that were awarded 1003(g) School Improvement Grants (SIGs) in fall 2010.<p>WestEd researchers interviewed 51 individuals who were heavily involved with SIG planning and implementation, including district-level SIG administrators and principals of SIG schools. The interview data were supplemented with benchmarking tools completed by SIG monitors.<p>Rese... Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:59:01 PDT http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/we_news/694 Allocating more money to students who are English learners could help them acquire the language skills they need to succeed in classrooms. <br/><br/> Extra money might also be an incentive to school districts to categorize more students as English learners, and keep them in that status longer. <br/><br/> <a href="http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/u/43">Robert Linquanti</a>, Project Director at WestEd, lends his expertise to this blog to help readers wade through the unexpected twists and turns ... Thu, 19 Apr 2012 11:02:17 PDT http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/we_e/1250 Register for the <a href="http://www.pitc.org/pub/pitc_docs/hv_app_intro.html">PITC Home Visiting Institute</a>. The Program for Infant/Toddler Care (PITC) at WestEd offers Home Visiting Institutes and customized trainings to home visitors, supervisors, and staff serving families in a home-based context. The PITC approach to home visiting integrates best practices in home visiting with the latest knowledge in child development. Register for PITC Home Visiting Training and you will learn... Tue, 17 Apr 2012 17:45:12 PDT http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/we_news/693 "Parents are every child's first teachers," California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson points out in this blog entry. <br/><br/> Because students spend more time out of school and with family, it makes sense to enlist parents to support in-class learning.<br/><br/> The <a href="http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/pj/446">California Comprehensive Center</a> at WestEd worked with the California Department of Education to frame 18 principles that foster family involvement in... Fri, 13 Apr 2012 13:28:23 PDT http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/we_e/1249 Register for the <a href="http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/cs/smu/view/e/5214?WestEd">Key Features of Comprehensive Principal Evaluation Systems webinar</a>. Principal effectiveness is a critical factor in improving teaching and learning. But how do school districts assess principal effectiveness? <a href="http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/rs/1107">Key Features of a Comprehensive Principal Evaluation System</a> organizes research-based information into 13 critical elements that districts can ... Wed, 11 Apr 2012 10:57:21 PDT http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/feat/266 This article was first published in WestEd's <a href="http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/rs/1214">R&D Alert</a>, Vol. 13, No. 1, 2012.<br/> Many professional development programs can document a positive impact on teachers who participate. But does the professional development make any difference for students?<br/> Remarkably few programs can answer that important question positively (or at all). But for WestEd's <a href="http://we-mss.weebly.com/">Making Sense of SCIENCE</a> professional develop... Tue, 10 Apr 2012 17:06:38 PDT http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/rs/1223 This report is our public statement about WestEd's broad scope of work, financial status, funding sources, and leadership in the year 2011. It includes descriptions of our program areas and the ways in which our work has an impact on education and healthy human development. Produced in the first half of each year, the WestEd Annual Report covers the previous fiscal year (Dec. 1 through Nov. 30). Hard copies are available free of charge. To have a copy mailed to you, click the ADD TO CART butto... Tue, 10 Apr 2012 16:35:09 PDT http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/we_e/1248 Register for the <a href="http://www.pitc.org/pub/pitc_docs/app_intro.html">PITC Trainer Institute</a>. The Program for Infant/Toddler Care at WestEd conducts Trainer Institutes that are offered to educators, program managers, and other professionals responsible for training infant/toddler care teachers. The Trainer Institutes help trainers deepen their understanding of each PITC module. In addition, they provide trainers with the necessary skills to successfully present the PITC concepts to a... Tue, 10 Apr 2012 12:00:16 PDT