newsletter
WestEd in the News
R&D Alert, Annual Report Recognized for Quality
WestEd Wins Seven 2009 MarCom Awards
Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals—November 2009
WestEd received seven MarCom awards from the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals. This international competition recognizes communication professionals involved in the concept, writing, and design of marketing and communication programs and print, visual, and audio materials. Entries come from corporate marketing and communication departments, advertising agencies, public relations firms, design shops, production companies, and freelancers. WestEd's winning entries are:
- R&D Alert Vol. 10, No. 2 "Focus on Professional Development" (PDF), Gold Award: Writing/Newsletter
- R&D Alert Vol. 10, No. 2 "Focus on Professional Development" (PDF), Platinum Award: External Newsletter/Non-Profit
- WestEd 2008 Annual Report (PDF), Gold Award: Writing/Annual Report
- WestEd 2008 Annual Report (PDF), Honorable Mention: Photography/Annual Report
- WestEd 2008 Annual Report (PDF), Platinum Award: Design/Annual Report Cover
- WestEd 2008 Annual Report (PDF), Platinum Award: Design/Annual Report
- WestEd 2008 Annual Report (PDF), Platinum Award: Annual Report/Non-Profit
Aída Walqui Serves on Report's Research Advisory Committee
Succeeding With English Language Learners: Lessons Learned from the Great City Schools
The Council of the Great City Schools—October 2009
Aída Walqui, Director of WestEd's Quality Teaching for English Learners (QTEL), served on the research advisory committee for a new Council of the Great City Schools report, Succeeding With English Language Learners: Lessons Learned from the Great City Schools (PDF). The study's results suggest the following: programming for these students has to be collaborative and it has to span the curriculum; districts need to develop and communicate a clear vision and strategy for English language learners' (ELL) instructional improvement, and work to provide schools with the tools, support, and oversight necessary to drive these reforms into the classroom; and, ELLs need much more integration into district general educational programs.
WestEd Interactive Credited for Developing Web-based Education Improvement Tools
Teaching Web Site Aims to Close Achievement Gap
Sacramento Bee—October 22, 2009
The Sacramento Bee reported that the most effective teaching strategies from California's schools are now being shared on a newly launched "Signatures Practices" web tool on the website ClosingTheAchievementGap.org. The web-based searchable database tool, produced by WestEd's Libby Rognier, is designed to share strategies for improving student achievement and closing the achievement gap used by California Distinguished Schools. WestEd Interactive developed the website under the direction of Sylvie Hale.
Steve Schneider Speaks at the Web 2.0 Summit
A Call to Arms for Technological Literacy
Web 2.0 Summit—October 20, 2009
Steve Schneider, Director of WestEd's Mathematics, Science, and Technology Program, was invited to speak at the Web 2.0 Summit on K–12 technological literacy. Schneider is leading the nation's effort to develop the 2012 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Technological Literacy Framework, the first of its kind. Other speakers include Tim Armstrong, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of AOL; Carol Bartz, CEO of Yahoo!; Tim O'Reilly, Founder and CEO of O'Reilly Media, Inc.; and John Battelle, Chairman and Publisher at Federated Media Publishing.
Aída Walqui, Director of WestEd's Quality Teaching for English Learners (QTEL), Interviewed
Scholars Say Students Need Chances to Speak in Class
Education Week—October 19, 2009
Education Week reports that educators and researchers who specialize in the education of English language learners are putting new emphasis on the importance of teaching oral English. Aída Walqui, Director of WestEd's Quality Teaching for English Learners (QTEL), was interviewed for the article on her language-related experiences when she moved to the United States from Peru to attend college as a young adult. Walqui trains teachers in how to strengthen the literacy of English language learners (ELLs) by helping them develop academic concepts and skills in oral English, among other academic language pedagogical approaches.
REL West Study Cited in Newspaper Editorial
Our View: California Teachers Dropping Like Flies
Daily 49er, California State University, Long Beach—October 13, 2009
An editorial in the Daily 49er, the campus newspaper of California State University, Long Beach, cited a Regional Educational Laboratory West (REL West) study, Trends in California Teacher Demand: A County and Regional Perspective (PDF). The study, authored by WestEd's Melissa Eiler White and Tony Fong, found that nearly 55,000 California teachers could retire over the next seven years.
WestEd Study Reports Trends in California Teacher Demand
An Education Problem Looms
Los Angeles Times—October 4, 2009
The Los Angeles Times reported that in a time of teacher layoffs, California education policymakers are growing concerned about how to build the needed pipeline of the next generation of teachers. The state is facing a looming teacher shortage as baby boomers reach retirement age and fewer young people are expected to enter the field. Nearly 55,000 teachers could retire over the next seven years, according to a Regional Educational Laboratory West study cited in the article, Trends in California Teacher Demand: A County and Regional Perspective.
Stanley Rabinowitz Appointed to Common Core State Standards Initiative Validation Committee
New Standards Draft Offers More Details
Education Week—September 30, 2009
Education Week reported that the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Governors Association have released a draft of proposed common academic standards that offer more detailed expectations of what students should know and be able to do by the end of high school in math and language arts. The article noted that Stanley Rabinowitz, Director of WestEd's Assessment & Standards Development Services, was appointed to the validation committee, which will review the expectations for college and career readiness.
Examining Independent Study High Schools in California
American School Board Journal Includes WestEd Study
American School—September 2009
American School magazine covered a study, prepared by Regional Educational Laboratory West, examining California's independent study high schools, alternative schools in which 75 percent or more of students in grades 9-12 are enrolled in full-time independent study. The authors describe enrollment trends in California independent study high schools and the targeted student populations. The study also contrasts the student and school characteristics as well as teacher qualifications with those of other nontraditional and traditional high schools.
WestEd's Stanley Rabinowitz Appointed to Common Core Expert Panel
Common Core State Standards Initiative Names Validation Committee
Education Daily—September 25, 2009
The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers on Thursday named WestEd's Stanley Rabinowitz to the Common Core State Standards Initiative Validation Committee. The committee will oversee the standards development process and the resulting standards. The members are also charged with adding any standard not now included in the Common Core standards if they think it is warranted, based on evidence that the standard is essential and internationally comparable. Rabinowitz directs WestEd's Assessment and Standards Development Services and the national Assessment and Accountability Comprehensive Center.