Rose Owens-West is an expert in federally funded programs, with particular expertise in Title I and smaller learning communities.

As Director of WestEd's Regional Smaller Learning Communities (SLC) Technical Assistance Center serving Arizona, California, and Nevada, Owens-West helps districts and schools redesign large, comprehensive high schools into smaller learning communities to improve student achievement. She also has presented the latest research and findings on smaller learning communities at regional and national conferences, workshops, and webinars, examining how such communities effectively address many of the significant challenges facing traditional high schools.

Owens-West also serves as Associate Director of the California Comprehensive Assistance Center (CA CC), funded by the U.S. Department of Education. She helps build the state's capacity to implement the No Child Left Behind Act; supports those working with districts and schools to improve student achievement; and builds the capacity of the state and districts to support students with special needs.

She has worked extensively with the California Department of Education on various projects and provided technical assistance in major California districts, including San Francisco, Oakland, Compton, Los Angeles, and Sacramento, as well as in rural districts in the northernmost part of the state.

Prior to joining WestEd in 1991, Owens-West worked at RMC, specializing in program improvement delivery; at Stanford University with the Accelerated Schools Project and the Pew Forum for Educational Reform; and the Illinois State Board of Education.

Owens-West received a BA in anthropology from Rhodes College, an MA in anthropology from the University of Illinois at Urbana, and a PhD in education administration and policy analysis from Stanford University.