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Standard of Excellence, Outstanding Achievement in Website Development
WestEd garnered a prestigious Standard of Excellence award for Outstanding Achievement in Website Development in the 2005 WebAward Competition, hosted by the Web Marketing Association. The agency website, WestEd.org, competed against more than 2,100 sites from 33 countries.
2006 California Student Survey Results Reveal Challenges
Painkiller Abuse on the Rise: Decline in Drug Use Slowing
Greg Austin, Director of WestEd's Health & Human Development Program, was interviewed for an article in the Pasadena Star News. The results of the 2005-06 California Student Survey indicate anti-drug and alcohol campaigns at schools have reached their maximum potential in reducing overall drug use, leaving officials with the task of concentrating on students who are heavy drug or alcohol users. The survey also revealed students are misusing painkillers such as OxyContin and Percodan at twice the reported rate of any other drug besides marijuana and alcohol.
Apprenticing Adolescents to Reading in Subject-Area Classrooms
"Despite the increasing pressure for content coverage in the current high-stakes testing environment, a small but growing number of middle and high school teachers across the country are taking the time to teach about reading in their disciplines." Ruth Schoenbach, Jane Braugner, Cynthia Greenleaf, and Cindy Litman of WestEd's Strategic Literacy Intitiative (SLI), explore this trend and their Reading Apprenticeship approach to literacy in their article published in the October 2003 issue of Phi Delta Kappan.
Three WestEd Publications Receive Honors
For the second consecutive year, the League of American Communications Professionals (LACP) presented WestEd with awards for excellence in the development of our publications. This year, the agency was honored with three awards in the LACP's 2003 Spotlight Awards Publicity Materials Competition. The WestEd newsletter, R&D Alert, won a Silver Award, a program brochure written and designed for the Comprehensive School Reform Facilitator Initiative won a Bronze Award, and WestEd's new series, Policy Perspectives, won a Bronze Award in the Best Debut category. WestEd is honored to have received these distinctions from the LACP.
Motivating Hard-to-Reach Students
Motivating some students to learn is challenging, if not daunting. Yet eagerness to learn is now viewed as an inherent capacity in all students when they have a positive view of themselves and a supportive learning environment. BethAnn Berliner, Senior Research Associate and Director of WestEd’s School-Community Laboratory project, details steps teachers and administrators can take to foster positive learning environments and engage hard-to-reach students in the National Association of Elementary School Principals' newsletter, Leadership Compass.
How Big a Barrier Is Language?
Learning English is important, but it isn't enough to ensure student success in school. Robert Linquanti, a senior researcher with WestEd, explains in an Orange Country Register article that examines the challenges of those labeled "English learners": "Obviously, language of instruction is not the whole story. It's not the whole solution. It's about teachers understanding what they need to know, how to appropriately communicate while instructing an academic subject matter."
2004 Distinguished Achievement Award
WestEd has been honored with the coveted Association of Educational Publishers (AEP) Distinguished Achievement Award (DAA) for Excellence in Educational Publishing. The agency’s Web site homepage, http://WestEd.org, received top acclaim nationwide in the DAA Web Site Design category on June 8th at the AEP’s annual awards gala in Washington, D.C.
Competition was particularly rigorous this year with judges for the 41st annual AEP Awards considering more than 1,400 entries from which 119 winners were selected.
WestEd joins an elite cadre of companies in the supplemental publishing field who have been honored for excellence in their products. An AEP award, earned after thorough analysis by a national panel of experts, confers upon the winner the right to display the Lamp of Learning logo on its products and Web site. This "seal of approval" signifies that a product or resource has met the highest standard of excellence.
In addition to receiving the Distinguished Achievement Award for Excellence, four other WestEd resources were selected as finalists by the AEP judges:Visit EdPress.org for a complete list of award recipients.
- Resiliency: What We Have Learned by Bonnie Benard, former Senior Program Associate at WestEd, in the Books: Whole Publication category;
- WestEd 2002 Annual Report in the Annual Report category;
- WestEd.org in the Web Sites: Informational/Organization category; and
- WestEd.org Products & Resources page in the Web Site/Marketing category.
For Teens, Phonics Isn't Enough
America's teens lag behind much of the world when it comes to reading skills—jeopardizing their academic performance, college success, and civic engagement. Most efforts to boost reading achievement take place in the early elementary grades. But Caitlin Johnson reports that some middle and high schools are taking on the more complex challenge of improving teen literacy. One of the programs she explores is the Reading Apprenticeship Framework, developed by the WestEd Strategic Literacy Initiative (SLI).
2004 Distinguished Achievement and Beacon Awards Finalist
WestEd was selected as a finalist in three categories of the Association of Educational Publishers’ (AEPs') 2004 Distinguished Achievement Awards program for outstanding education products. Judged by peers and experts, the awards provide an objective, authoritative evaluation of submitted work. The WestEd finalists are:
WestEd also has been selected as a finalist in two categories of AEP’s 2004 Beacon Awards, recognizing outstanding education marketing. The WestEd finalists are:
- The book, Resiliency: What We Have Learned, by Bonnie Benard, in the Whole Publication: Professional Development category;
- The redesigned agency Web site, WestEd.org, in the Web Sites: Informational – Organizations category; and
- The agency Web site home page, WestEd.org, in the Web Sites: Design – Home Page category.
Winners in each category will be announced at two awards ceremonies June 8, 2004, during the AEP Annual Educational Publishing Summit in Washington D.C.
- The WestEd 2002 Annual Report in the Annual Report category; and
- The WestEd Products & Resources page in the Web Site: Marketing category.
Spotlight 2003 Awards Publicity Materials Competition
Silver Award: WestEd R&D Alert newsletter
Bronze Award, Best Debut: WestEd series Policy Perspectives
Bronze Award: Program brochure for the Comprehensive School Reform Facilitator Initiative
For the second consecutive year, the League of American Communications Professionals (LACP) presented WestEd with awards for excellence in the development of our publications. Our agency won three awards in the LACP's 2003 Spotlight Awards Publicity Materials Competition:
- WestEd’s agency newsletter, R&D Alert, won a Silver Award.
- A program brochure written and designed for the Comprehensive School Reform Facilitator Initiative won a Bronze Award.
- WestEd's new series, Policy Perspectives, won a Bronze Award in the Best Debut category.
2002 Vision Awards Annual Report Competition
Bronze: WestEd 2002 Annual Report
WestEd's 2002 Annual Report garnered a bronze medal in the educational/nonprofit category of the League of American Communications Professionals' (LACP) 2002 Vision Awards Annual Report Competition. The competition with over 900 entries was judged by a field of communications professionals affiliated with LACP. Their expertise spans a broad spectrum of public relations functions ranging from corporate, executive, and internal communications for Fortune 500 organizations to product, service, and nonprofit publicity expertise.
2003 Vision Awards Annual Report Competition
Bronze: WestEd 2003 Annual Report
WestEd's 2003 Annual Report garnered a bronze medal in the educational/nonprofit category of the League of American Communications Professionals' (LACP) 2003 Vision Awards Annual Report Competition. The competition with over 1,200 entries was judged by a field of communications professionals affiliated with LACP. Their expertise spans a broad spectrum of public relations functions ranging from corporate, executive, and internal communications for Fortune 500 organizations to product, service, and nonprofit publicity expertise.
Model Initiative
The National Center for Children in Poverty named WestEd’s Program for Infant/Toddler Caregivers (PITC) a model initiative to support infants, toddlers, and their families.
WestEd Website, SchoolsMovingUp.net, Wins Distance Learning Award
California AFFY Award
SchoolsMovingUp received an AFFY award from American Distance Education Consortium (ADEC) California chapter. The AFFY, which is short for Affinity Groups, honors distinguished distance education projects in California and the nation. Since SchoolsMovingUp launched about five years ago, it has grown tremendously with over 19,000 registered site members from all 50 states and 49 countries. Through SchoolsMovingUp, WestEd's Comprehensive School Assistance Program under the direction of Fred Tempes has hosted 90 webinars with over 18,000 registrants. All webinars are free, archived, and available for viewing on SchoolsMovingUp.
2002 Distinguished Achievement Award
Best Newsletter: WestEd R&D Alert
WestEd's thrice-yearly newsletter, R&D Alert, won the Association of Educational Publishers' (EdPress) coveted 2002 Distinguished Achievement Award for "Best Newsletter." R&D Alert provides substantive information and balanced perspectives based on WestEd knowledge and research in education and healthy development. Each issue focuses on a current topic relevant to schools and communities and combines insightful content with lively design. The winning 2001 issues of R&D Alert explore Assessment for Education Improvement, Help for Low-Performing Schools, and Evaluation Research.
Innovative Teaching Education Resources A+
WestEd’s Distance Learning Resource Network (DLRN) was featured on the Innovative Teaching Education Resources Web site as one of the best online resources to augment classroom instructional materials. The DLRN received the A+ designation after its rigorous evaluation based on substance, applicability, timeliness, usefulness, depth, creativity, and originality.
2002 Partner in Excellence Award
The Office of Federal Contract and Compliance Programs Pacific Region honored WestEd with the 2002 Partner in Excellence Award in recognition of the agency’s continued commitment to equal employment opportunities and service to the community.
Outstanding Leadership Award
WestEd received the Outstanding Leadership Award from the California Department of Education for its unwavering support of the California Regional Environmental Education Community (CREEC) Network, which connects teachers with high quality environmental education resources.
Busy Educator Award
WestEd’s Distance Learning Resource Network (DLRN) received commendation from the Busy Educator's Newsletter, an online newsletter that keeps educators informed on useful Web sites, news releases, book and e-book reviews, and software reviews.
Outstanding Staff Development Book of the Year
Joyce Kaser, Susan Mundry, Katherine Stiles, and the late Susan Loucks-Horsley’s book, Leading Every Day: 124 Actions for Effective Leadership, received the 2003 Outstanding Staff National Staff Development Book of the Year from the National Staff Development Council.
WestEd 2003 Annual Report Wins Bronze
WestEd's 2003 Annual Report garnered a bronze medal in the educational/nonprofit category of the League of American Communications Professionals' (LACP) 2003 Vision Awards Annual Report Competition. The competition with over 1,200 entries was judged by a field of communications professionals affiliated with LACP. Their expertise spans a broad spectrum of public relations functions ranging from corporate, executive, and internal communications for Fortune 500 organizations to product, service, and nonprofit publicity expertise.
Cal Alive! Educator of the Year
Kathy DiRanna, Director of WestEd’s K-12 Alliance, was named Cal Alive! Educator of the Year by the California Institute for Biodiversity (CIB). CIB is dedicated to improving science literacy, environmental education, and the appropriate use of technology in classrooms throughout California.
Leadership in Interagency Collaboration at the State Level
Virginia Reynolds, Director of WestEd’s Center for Prevention & Early Intervention, received the Leadership in Interagency Collaboration at the State Level award from the Special Education Early Childhood Administrators Project (SEECAP). SEECAP is a professional development project of the California Department of Education, Special Education Division in support of research findings that indicate a direct relationship between quality early intervention programs and the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of the administrators who run those programs.
2002 AERA Professional Service Award
Judith Shulman, Director of WestEd’s Institute for Case Development and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) Support Network, received the 2002 AERA Professional Service Award, "in recognition of an outstanding contribution relating research to practice."
Margaret Nicholson Distinguished Service Award
The Margaret Nicholson Distinguished Service Award was presented to Art Sussman, Director of the Eisenhower Regional Consortium at WestEd, in recognition of his substantial contributions to science education, leadership and service, and positive impacts on science education in California.
Outstanding Science Trade Book Award and Reviewer’s Choice Award
The celebrated Dr. Art's Guide to Planet Earth: For Earthlings Ages 12 to 120 by Art Sussman, Director of the Eisenhower Regional Consortium at WestEd, was honored with both the Outstanding Science Trade Book and Reviewer’s Choice Awards by the Children’s Book Council in partnership with the National Science Teachers Association. Dr. Art's Guide to Planet Earth’s goal is to enhance Earth systems science and environmental science education nationally.
WestEd Garners Platinum and Gold Honors
Three WestEd resources placed in the top 100 in the League of American Communications Professionals’ (LACP) 2004 Spotlight Awards Publicity Materials Competition. The WestEd Products & Services Catalog placed 4th; the WestEd 2003 Annual Report placed 41st; and WestEd.org placed 87th. The agency also received seven awards for excellence in the development of print and Web public relations materials:
Competition was exceptionally rigorous this year with more than 850 entries submitted from nearly a dozen countries. Christine Kennedy, LACP’s Competition Director, says, “Winners in this year’s competition demonstrated an outstanding focus on communicating through creativity, passion, and vibrance, which ultimately helped target audiences understand and appreciate the relevance and importance of these organizations’ messages.” WestEd is honored to have received these distinctions from the LACP.
- The WestEd Products & Services Catalog won two awards: a Platinum Award in the overall Best Narrative category and a Gold Award in the Toolkits, Mailers, and Related category.
- The 2003 Annual Report won two Gold Awards — for overall Best Narrative category and Annual Report category.
- WestEd.org won two awards: a Gold Award in the Web Site/Intranet Site category and a Bronze Award in the overall Best Debut category.
- WestEd’s R&D Alert, Vol. 5, No. 2, won a Bronze Award in the Web Newsletter/Magazine category.
Gold Disk Award
Kurt Larsen, Director of the Regional Technology in Education Consortium (RTEC), was honored with a Gold Disk Award, the oldest recognition program of Computing Using Educators (CUE). As a member of CUE, Kurt received this award in recognition of his significant and long-term commitment and contributions to the organization and to technology in learning.
Honorable Mention: California Early Start Annual Report
The California Early Start Annual Report, produced by Patricia Winget, Sandra Cosner, and Elissa Provance of WestEd’s Center for Prevention & Early Intervention, received an Honorable Mention from the Sacramento Public Relations Association.
Advocates for Justice Award
Leonard Beckum, Director of WestEd's Equity Assistance Center, received the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education’s 2000 Advocates for Justice Award for his exemplary work in research and practice. The award honors "individuals who have firmly supported and have contributed in a meaningful way to the equity agenda of teaching and teacher education."
WestEd Helps Jack O'Connell Honor California Distinguished Schools
WestEd’s Chief Development Officer, Srijata Ananda, accepts a plaque of recognition for the agency from Jack O'Connell, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction, at an awards ceremony honoring the 302 California elementary schools selected by the California Department of Education as 2004 California Distinguished Schools. The prestigious California Distinguished Schools award is considered the state’s predominant recognition of a school’s total education program, including high expectations for all students, the implementation of state-adopted standards, and visionary and collaborative leadership. WestEd is proud to support the California School Recognition Program.
WestEd Wins AEP 2004 Distinguished Achievement Award
WestEd has been honored with the coveted Association of Educational Publishers (AEP) Distinguished Achievement Award (DAA) for Excellence in Educational Publishing. The agency’s Web site homepage, http://WestEd.org, received top acclaim nationwide in the DAA Web Site Design category on June 8th at the AEP’s annual awards gala in Washington, D.C.
Competition was particularly rigorous this year with judges for the 41st annual AEP Awards considering more than 1,400 entries from which 119 winners were selected.
WestEd joins an elite cadre of companies in the supplemental publishing field who have been honored for excellence in their products. An AEP award, earned after thorough analysis by a national panel of experts, confers upon the winner the right to display the Lamp of Learning logo on its products and Web site. This "seal of approval" signifies that a product or resource has met the highest standard of excellence.
In addition to receiving the Distinguished Achievement Award for Excellence, four other WestEd resources were selected as finalists by the AEP judges:
- Resiliency: What We Have Learned by Bonnie Benard, WestEd Senior Program Associate, in the Books: Whole Publication category;
- WestEd 2002 Annual Report in the Annual Report category;
- WestEd.org in the Web Sites: Informational/Organization category; and
- WestEd.org Products & Resources page in the Web Site/Marketing category. Visit EdPress.org for a complete list of award recipients.
WestEd Garners Platinum and Gold Honors
Three WestEd resources placed in the top 100 in the League of American Communications Professionals’ (LACP) 2004 Spotlight Awards Publicity Materials Competition. The WestEd Products & Services Catalog placed 4th; the WestEd 2003 Annual Report placed 41st; and WestEd.org placed 87th. The agency also received seven awards for excellence in the development of print and Web public relations materials:
Competition was exceptionally rigorous this year with more than 850 entries submitted from nearly a dozen countries. Christine Kennedy, LACP’s Competition Director, says, “Winners in this year’s competition demonstrated an outstanding focus on communicating through creativity, passion, and vibrance, which ultimately helped target audiences understand and appreciate the relevance and importance of these organizations’ messages.” WestEd is honored to have received these distinctions from the LACP.
- The WestEd Products & Services Catalog won two awards: a Platinum Award in the overall Best Narrative category and a Gold Award in the Toolkits, Mailers, and Related category.
- The 2003 Annual Report won two Gold Awards — for overall Best Narrative category and Annual Report category.
- WestEd.org won two awards: a Gold Award in the Web Site/Intranet Site category and a Bronze Award in the overall Best Debut category.
- WestEd’s R&D Alert, Vol. 5, No. 2, won a Bronze Award in the Web Newsletter/Magazine category.
WestEd Named One of the Best Places to Work in Bay Area
Best Places to Work in Bay Area 2005
WestEd has been selected as one of the top 100 Best Places to Work in the Greater Bay Area in 2005 by the San Francisco Business Times, the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, and Deloitte. This is the second consecutive year that WestEd has been so honored. The prestigious award recognizes that the agency attracts, retains, and engages high-quality employees through positive working conditions, benefits, and corporate culture.
This year’s awards program for the Bay Area attracted about 400 entries. Nonprofit organizations contended with for-profit corporations in this year's competition, making WestEd's high ranking an even more significant achievement. moreWestEd Named One of the Best Places to Work in Bay Area
WestEd has been selected as one of the top 100 Best Places to Work in the Greater Bay Area in 2005 by the San Francisco Business Times, the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, and Deloitte. This is the second consecutive year that WestEd has been so honored. The prestigious award recognizes that the agency attracts, retains, and engages high-quality employees through positive working conditions, benefits, and corporate culture. more
WestEd's SLI Improves Student Reading Skills
Dixon High School (CA) students "talk" to their books to better comprehend the text. This is one of several methods WestEd's Strategic Literacy Initiative (SLI) Reading Apprenticeship® Program uses to help engage students in reading and ensure that they learn and retain information. "It makes you think about what you are reading about," says 10th-grader Jessica Rodriguez. "It helps you remember what you just read." Jessica is not alone: Many students throughout Sacramento Valley schools have become better readers with the help of SLI, say members of the Dixon Teachers Association.
WestEd Publications Win Top National Accolades from Association of Educational Publishers
WestEd, a nonprofit research, development, and service agency, was honored with several coveted awards by the Association of Educational Publishers (AEP) at a gala ceremony in Washington, D.C. on June 8, 2005.
In a stiff nationwide competition, the agency's Web site, www.WestEd.org, was awarded the Distinguished Achievement Award (DAA) for best organizational site. WestEd's 2003 Annual Report also took the top prize in its category, winning the superior Beacon Award.
Two additional WestEd publications won the top trophies in their categories. Innovations in Education: Successful Charter Schools, a guide published under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Innovation and Improvement, garnered the DAA for best interior design. Rethinking High School: Five Profiles of Innovative Models for Student Success, a study by WestEd for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, took the DAA prize for best illustrations and graphics.
Upon hearing news of the multiple awards, Glen Harvey, CEO of WestEd, praised the agency's staff, stating, "I am pleased that WestEd's publications once again have been honored as best in class. We are proud of our time-honored tradition of upholding the highest standards of excellence in research, development, and service."
The highly competitive annual AEP awards are the result of a rigorous two-tiered screening process. Entries are first reviewed by screening judges, who narrow the field, followed by the final certifying committee that reviews and certifies finalists and winners in all categories. The judging panel comprises experts from the nation's leading education magazines and newspapers, publishers, and nonprofit institutions.
Several WestEd products garnered additional honors as finalists in other categories:
- WestEd.org for best interface usability;
- Rethinking High Schools: Five Profiles of Innovative Models for Student Success for best whole publication; and
- Ensuring That No Child Is Left Behind: How Are Student Health Risks & Resilience Related to the Academic Progress of Schools? for best booklet.
WestEd Publications Win Top National Accolades from Association of Educational Publishers
WestEd Publications Win Top National Accolades from Association of Educational Publishers
WestEd was honored with several coveted awards by the Association of Educational Publishers on June 8, 2005. In a stiff nationwide competition, the agency's website, www.WestEd.org, was awarded the Distinguished Achievement Award (DAA) for best organizational site. WestEd's 2003 Annual Report also took the top prize in its category, winning the superior Beacon Award.
Two additional WestEd publications won the top trophies in their categories. Innovations in Education: Successful Charter Schools, a guide published under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Innovation and Improvement, garnered the DAA for best interior design. Rethinking High School: Five Profiles of Innovative Models for Student Success, a study by WestEd for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, took the DAA prize for best illustrations and graphics.WestEd Wins International Awards
WestEd took high honors in the annual League of American Communications Professionals (LACP) Vision Awards competition. In a rigorous international competition, WestEd's 2004 Annual Report garnered the gold award in the education category and the silver in the nonprofit category.
This year's contest drew an unprecedented number of submissions, with more than 1,400 entries representing 17 countries. LACP's announcement follows on the heels of last month's news that the Association of Educational Publishers awarded several coveted top prizes to WestEd publications. WestEd CEO Glen Harvey emphasized the agency's commitment to quality. "These most recent awards offer further evidence that WestEd upholds the highest standards of excellence in research, development, and service. We are proud to join an elite cadre of organizations with an exceptional commitment to superior, effective publishing." The Vision Awards involve several hundred hours of judging on areas such as first impression, cover, creativity, message clarity, and information accessibility. The judging panel comprises communications and public relations experts practicing in the nation's leading companies and nonprofit organizations.WestEd Wins International Awards
WestEd Wins International Awards
WestEd took high honors in the annual League of American Communications Professionals (LACP) Vision Awards competition. In a rigorous international competition, WestEd's 2004 Annual Report garnered the gold award in the education category and the silver in the nonprofit category. This year's contest drew an unprecedented number of submissions, with more than 1,400 entries representing 17 countries. LACP's announcement follows on the heels of last month's news that the Association of Educational Publishers awarded several coveted top prizes to WestEd publications.
The Vision Awards involve several hundred hours of judging on areas such as first impression, cover, creativity, message clarity, and information accessibility. The judging panel comprises communications and public relations experts practicing in the nation's leading companies and nonprofit organizations.Outstanding Achievement in Website Development
Standard of Excellence
WestEd garnered a prestigious Standard of Excellence award for Outstanding Achievement in Website Development in the 2005 WebAward Competition, hosted by the Web Marketing Association. The agency website, WestEd.org, competed against more than 2,100 sites from 33 countries.
Malcolm X Academy Makes the Grade
Malcolm X Academy Makes the Grade
Prospects are improving for kids in the San Francisco Bayview Hunter's Point area, thanks to hard work at the Malcolm X Academy by teachers, parents, and students, and to assistance from WestEd. This year's vastly improved test scores paint a rosier future for the neighborhood children. The improvements are largely the result of a turn-around process that began in 2002 when the school partnered with San Francisco-based WestEd and its School Assistance and Intervention Team (SAIT).
WestEd Report:
Funding Preschool May Help Solve Budget, Social Woes
Investing immediately in a national preschool program would yield high returns – including possibly shoring up an ailing Social Security system – says a new WestEd report. Economist Robert G. Lynch looks 50 years into the future, calculating the impact on federal, state, and local government budgets, the economy, and crime if such a program were implemented now for all low-income 3- and 4-year-old children across the country. The full report, the latest in WestEd's Policy Perspectives series, is available as a free PDF download: Early Childhood Investment Yields Big Payoff.
WestEd's Arts-Integration Research Helps Teachers
U.S. Department of Education, Teacher-to-Teacher Workshops
WestEd's evaluation research of Opening Minds Through The Arts (OMA) was included in summer teacher workshops presented by the U.S. Department of Education's Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative. The evaluation revealed that OMA's arts-integration approach yields significant academic gains for a diverse student population and enhances teacher effectiveness.
WestEd Book, Resiliency, Receives Rave Review
Resiliency: What We Have Learned by Bonnie Benard received praise from the Education Review. The reviewer noted, "I recommend this book to anyone searching for a positive approach to working with youth," and praises the book for condensing an entire field of research into a readable, usable, and understandable synthesis for educators.
Data Driven Decision Making Helps Schools Succeed
School Pilot Program to Boost State Test Scores (registration required)
In October 2004, WestEd piloted training on the Data Driven Decision-Making Toolkit, a product developed by WestEd's Western Regional Educational Laboratory (WREL), with the Beaumont Unified School Change Team. They used the activities as part of their Data Mentoring series with a focus on Chavez Elementary. Chavez's scores soared and the staff are anxious to dig into their test data again this year. The toolkit includes activities on identifying critical needs, creating a plan to address the needs, and then monitoring progress.
Garden Project Teaches Low-Income Teens About Nutrition
Teen Corps Tends School's Kitchen Garden (registration required)
Next to Riverview Middle School, an organic garden grows corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, and healthier teenagers in this low-income, gang-involved neighborhood. BethAnn Berliner and Tenley Harrison from WestEd's Western Regional Educational Laboratory (WREL) partnered with the school district and other agencies to create the model Teen Garden Corps, which provides curriculum enrichment, economic opportunity, and nutritional education.
WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey
Report: Santa Cruz County Teens' Drug, Alcohol Use Up (registration required)
The biannual California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS), a partnership between the California Department of Education and WestEd's Health & Human Development Program (HHDP), shows that alcohol and other drug use is increasing among Santa Cruz County's 7th, 9th, and 11th grades. The survey is the nation's most comprehensive assessment of adolescent behavior and school climate.
WestEd's Comprehensive Solution for Modesto City Schools
Parents Taking Government's Offer for Kids to Switch Schools (registration required)
Five schools in the Modesto City Schools district have selected WestEd's Comprehensive School Assistance Program (CSAP) to help improve student achievement under No Child Left Behind requirements. WestEd is addressing the district's needs on several fronts, including help for English learners, as well as for administrators in creating and implementing a research-based assessment and accountability system. WestEd is offering a coordinated approach to help the schools assess and address factors that impede student achievement.
WestEd's Policy Center Weighs in on State's Education Reform
Arizona Students Lag on National Test (registration required)
Results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress tests show that Arizona's students are performing below their peers in all categories. Paul Koehler, Director of WestEd's Policy Center, recommends a number of reforms to help raise student achievement in the state. For example, Koehler suggests implementing longer school days along with an extended school year, and increasing the number of academic opportunities available for low-income students.
WestEd's English Learner Research at the Forefront
Steady Progress Wins the ELL Proficiency Prize
Nationally recognized expert Robert Linquanti led the SchoolsMovingUp webinar offering tips on helping English learners achieve ambitious learning goals. This archived online event includes information on accountability systems, goal setting, and data analysis. Linquanti is Project Director for English Learner Evaluation and Accountability Support services in WestEd’s Comprehensive School Assistance Program.
Student Alcohol and Other Drug Program Created in Response to WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey
Survey Results Call for New Drug Education Program
In response to WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) administered earlier this year to Torrey Pines High School students, the San Dieguito Union High School District has created a new program to decrease student alcohol and other drug use. Under the direction of Greg Austin, CHKS is administered annually to California students statewide. It is the only such mandated survey in the country, with the most comprehensive network of adolescent survey data of any state.
WestEd Technology Assists The LegiSchool Project with Online Dialogue
Web Conference to Discuss Anti-Gang Policies
A two-week online dialogue about gang activity and California schools is being produced by WestEd's Laurie Maak using the agency's breakthrough technology, Web Dialogues. Participants in the online event include high school students, law enforcement professionals, religious leaders, policymakers, educators, and government representatives. The Web Dialogue is sponsored by The LegiSchool Project, a civic education collaboration between California State University, Sacramento, and the California State Legislature, administered by the Center for California Studies. To join the discussion and receive discussion summaries by email, register at www.webdialogues.net/legischool/gangs.
WestEd's Policy Brief on Full-Day Kindergarten Assists Utah Board of Education in Creating Statewide Programs
All-Day Kindergarten: Longer Hours Help Kids Adjust to School
The Utah Board of Education is considering several proposals to institute a statewide full-day kindergarten program. Board members are using WestEd's Policy Brief on Full-Day Kindergarten as a source for understanding the issues. Policy Briefs, produced by WestEd's Policy Center, help to bridge the gap between researchers and public policymakers by translating research for the general public.
Experts Disagree Over What to Include in Revised NAEP
Senta Raizen, Director of WestEd's National Center for Improving Science Education, was interviewed in an article covering the development of National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Science Framework and Specifications. WestEd is developing the new science framework for the congressionally mandated exam, in partnership with the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), a national nonprofit organization of public officials who head state departments of elementary and secondary education. The initiative will lead to NAEP science assessments administered nationally to students in grades 4, 8, and 12 beginning in 2009.
WestEd Releases Evaluation Report to Utah Board of Education and
State Legislature
Utah's Early Reading Program Paying Off
WestEd released a report evaluating Utah's new K-3 reading program to the Utah Board of Education showing that many districts and charter schools are making "really good progress," in the words of Paul Koehler, Director of WestEd's Policy Center. Koehler also presented the findings to the state legislature's Education Interim Committee later this week.
2005 Spotlight Awards
WestEd took several honors in the League of American Communications Professionals (LACP) 2005 Spotlight Awards competition for print, video, and web communications. In the rigorous international competition, the agency's website, WestEd.org, was thrice honored, receiving the top Platinum Award for best-in-class website, a Bronze Award for best agency materials, and a coveted spot on the "Top 100 Communications Materials of 2005" list. The agency's electronic newsletter, WestEd E-Bulletin, won a Silver Award in the e-mail-based feature, newsletter, or magazine category.
WestEd's print materials also fared well. The WestEd 2004 Annual Report garnered a Silver Award in its class, while a postcard announcing a new free WestEd product, the English Language Development Student Report Card, garnered a Bronze Award. Two additional products received honorable mention: Rethinking High School: Five Profiles of Innovative Models for Student Success, developed by WestEd for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; and, Inside High School Reform: Making the Changes That Matter, developed in conjunction with the California Academic Partnership Program (CAPP).
In winning the LACP awards, WestEd joins an elite class of global organizations - among them Fortune 100 companies and charitable service agencies - honored for an uncompromising commitment to high-quality communications. The annual competition is judged by professionals with expertise in corporate, executive, and internal communications. Judges are screened to ensure there are no conflicts of interest. The highly competitive Spotlight Awards involve several hundred hours of judging on areas such as first impression, graphic design, cover, creativity, message clarity, and information accessibility.WestEd Garners International Communications Awards
LACP 2005 Spotlight Awards Announced
WestEd took several honors in the League of American Communications Professionals (LACP) 2005 Spotlight Awards competition for print, video, and web communications. In the rigorous international competition, the agency's website, WestEd.org, was thrice honored, receiving the top Platinum Award for best-in-class website, a Bronze Award for best agency materials, and a coveted spot on the "Top 100 Communications Materials of 2005" list. The agency's electronic newsletter, WestEd E-Bulletin, won a Silver Award in the e-mail-based feature, newsletter, or magazine category. Several printed materials also won awards, including WestEd's newest book, Inside High School Reform: Making the Changes That Matter, developed in conjunction with the California Academic Partnership Program (CAPP).
Bonnie Benard's Research on Resiliency in the Spotlight
Resiliency and Achievement: Meeting the Needs of At-Risk Kids
Bonnie Benard's groundbreaking research on resiliency was featured in the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development's (ASCD) October newsletter, Education Update. According to the article entitled, "Resiliency and Achievement," Benard identifies three ways teachers can nurture resiliency in their students:
Benard's contribution to the newsletter was picked up by ASCD's blog, Conference on Teaching and Learning. Benard is Senior Program Associate with WestEd's Health & Human Development Program (HHDP) and the author of the top selling Resiliency: What We Have Learned, which presents overwhelming evidence that resiliency prevails in most cases of prevention and education — even in extreme situations, such as those caused by poverty, troubled families, and violent neighborhoods.
- establish caring relationships by connecting with each student;
- deliver high-expectation messages to show students that teachers truly believe in their capacity to learn and be successful; and,
- provide each student opportunities for active participation and contribution, including fostering collaboration through cooperative learning strategies.
Stanley Rabinowitz Comments on Arizona School Reform
When AIMS Is for Real: The Hopes and Risks
In a story about the statewide impact of Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS), The Arizona Republic interviewed Stanley Rabinowitz, Director of WestEd's Assessment & Standards Development Services. According to Rabinowitz, reform efforts should start where students are currently performing, and then goals for future student achievement should align with efforts to improve teaching skills, methods, and quality. AIMS, a standards-based test, provides educators and the public with information regarding the progress of Arizona's students toward mastering the state's reading, writing, and mathematics standards. Arizona is 1 of 25 states now requiring a high school exit exam based on standardized testing.
REL West Study Sheds Light on Fast Growing School Choice Option
Enrollment in Independent Study High Schools Surge
A new WestEd study prepared by Regional Educational Laboratory West researchers, Examining Independent Study High Schools in California, examines 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. In 2006/07, 4% of California's nearly 2 million high school students were enrolled in full-time independent study, most of them in the state's 231 independent study high schools. Since 2001/02, independent study enrollment in those schools increased by 44% compared to 12% or less in other school types.
Isolation Is the Enemy of Improvement
Renewing the Energy to Teach
In an article detailing how high-quality professional development can result in increased student achievement, UCLA School Management Program staff member Jeanie Riddell highlights WestEd's publication, Isolation Is the Enemy of Improvement: Instructional Leadership to Support Standards-Based Practice. Riddell praises the book's emphasis on fostering collaboration among teaching staff. She notes that teacher collaboration could include working together on curriculum, pacing, and assessment work; visiting each other’s classrooms; or forming groups to examine student work.
Bonnie Benard's Resiliency Research Featured in TV Special
Emmy-Award Winning Connect With Kids Series Airs Nationally
WestEd Senior Program Associate Bonnie Benard, renowned expert and the author of Resiliency: What We Have Learned, is featured in a television episode from the Emmy award-winning Connect with Kids series. The segment, Against All Odds, explores why some children succeed despite the tremendous odds against them. What do these "resilient kids" have in common, and what do their stories teach us about parenting, educating, and succeeding? The Connect with Kids television series features real kids, true stories, experts, and educators. It provides a way to help parents and their children start a conversation about the tough topics kids face every day. Catch a screening on your local TV station (see WestEd's calendar for cities, dates, and times).
Expert Advice on Responding to Charges of Racism
A Lesson in Race: Changes Follow Accusations at Weston Ranch High
In an article about ongoing allegations of racism in the Manteca (CA) Unified School District, Leonard Beckum, former Director of WestEd's Center for Educational Equity, was interviewed about appropriate responses district administrators can take when faced with racially sensitive accusations. According to Beckum, administrators should supplement legal remedies with responses that prove the administrators are serious about the charges against them. "The basic question is: Are these efforts satisfying the people who brought up these issues? Because if they don't feel it's being addressed, then the problem is still there."
WestEd Hosts Japanese Scholars
English Learner Literacy Research in the Spotlight
Four scholars from Japan visited WestEd's San Francisco office to learn more about the current American research on literacy, especially related to English learners (ELs), which is an area of expertise for the agency. The scholars received a three-year research grant from Japan’s National Ministry of Education, Culture, Science, and Technology to study adult education, workforce education, and literacy. Nanette Koelsch, Senior Research Associate in the Teacher Professional Development Program, provided an overview of WestEd's philosophy regarding EL literacy, as well as a demonstration of the agency's related professional development in the New York City Public Schools.
WestEd's National Center for Improving Science Education
Takes Center Stage
NAGB Approves Final Science Assessment Framework
The National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB), the oversight agency for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), has approved the final draft of the framework portion of the NAEP Science Framework and Specifications. WestEd's National Center for Improving Science Education (NCISE) is creating the new science assessment for the congressionally mandated exam. According to Education Daily, NAGB was faced with competing suggestions regarding the framework's allocations to applied science and engineering concepts, core science concepts, and principles of scientific inquiry. In the article, Senta Raizen, Director of NCISE, explains that the next step is to develop test specifications based on the revised framework.
WestEd Attends CERA Conference
Jordan Horowitz Signs Copies of Inside High School Reform
WestEd was represented in full force at the 84th annual conference of the California Educational Research Association (CERA) in Long Beach, California. Several sessions featured research or professional development conducted by WestEd staff, including:
WestEd's Evaluation Research program was particularly visible at CERA, with Jordan Horowitz signing copies of his recently published evaluation study of the California Academic Partnership Program, Inside High School Reform: Making the Changes That Matter.
- Do Students Learn from the Arts? by Naida Tushnet, Sandy Sobolew-Shubin, and Treseen McCormick
- Inside High School Reform: Making Changes That Matter by Jordan Horowitz
- Data Mentoring: Building Capacity for Data-Driven Decision Making by Darrell Brown of the Beaumont (CA) Unified School District, with WestEd's Lori Van Houten
WestEd's Stanley Rabinowitz Appointed to Common Core Expert Panel
Common Core State Standards Initiative Names Validation Committee
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.
WestEd's English Learner Research Has International Impact
Aida Walqui Keynotes at New Zealand Conference
Aida Walqui, Director of WestEd's Teacher Professional Development Program, gave a keynote speech at Learning Media’s 2005 National Literacy Symposium in Wellington, New Zealand. Jointly sponsored by the Ministry of Education and Learning Media, Walqui drew from her years of experience and research in her discussion of the impact of oral language on English language learners.
WestEd Attends NSDC Conference
Karen Kearney Signs Copies of Leadership Book
Karen Kearney, Director of WestEd's Leadership Initiative, signed copies of Moving Leadership Standards Into Everyday Work: Descriptions of Practice at the National Staff Development Council’s (NSDC’s) annual conference in Philadelphia. Kearney is a member of NSDC’s Conference Planning Committee. Several NSDC sessions featured WestEd staff, including:
- “The Role of Change Agents in Schools” by Cheryl Williams
- “Developing Culturally Proficient Schools” by Laraine Roberts
- “Leadership for Learning” by Susan Mundry
WestEd's WREL Cosponsors Lecture Series
Wrestling with High School Assessment & Accountability
More than 50 education leaders recently participated in the annual Edward F. Reidy Jr. Interactive Lecture Series, cosponsored by WestEd’s Western Regional Educational Laboratory and the Center for Assessment. This year's topic, “Wrestling with High School Assessment and Accountability,” focused on the challenges of developing meaningful and valid high school accountability systems. Series presenters examined some of the most important aspects of student performance measurement in high school and how to incorporate those results in high school accountability systems. Presentations included:
Stanley Rabinowitz, Director for WestEd’s Assessment and Standards Development Services, provided panel facilitation and responses.
- Mark Musick, former Executive Director of the Southern Regional Educational Board: "Building the Foundation: Establishing Our Goals for High Schools"
- Lauress Wise, President of Human Resources Research Organization: "Assessment Approaches: Which Options Are Best for What Purposes?"
- Scott Marion, Associate Director of the Center for Assessment, and Brian Gong, Executive Director of the Center for Assessment: "Accountability at the High School Level: Emerging Recommendations for a Multilevel Set of Issues"
WestEd Assists U.S. Chamber of Commerce
New Work Readiness Credential
Rachel Lagunoff, Research Associate for WestEd's Assessment and Standards Development Services program, led the development of a guide for preparing job seekers to succeed on a new assessment offered by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Center for Workforce Preparation. The Work Readiness Credential will be used to provide certification demonstrating that entry-level job seekers have communication, interpersonal, decisionmaking, and lifelong learning skills.
WestEd Embarks on International Science Assessment Collaboration
U.S.-European Collaboration Begins with German Researchers
Science assessment experts from WestEd's Center for Assessment and Evaluation of Student Learning (CAESL) recently met at WestEd headquarters in San Francisco with researchers from three German universities in Munich, Berlin, and Muenster. The group of researchers are developing assessment instruments to measure the use of evidence in science classrooms. Mike Timms, CAESL's Managing Director, says, "We are delighted to be working with science colleagues across the globe to improve education for children everywhere." The collaboration will result in a series of research papers and a symposium providing insight into how students and teachers can increase the use of evidence in science classrooms. CAESL is a collaboration of WestEd; University of California, Berkley; University of California, Los Angeles; and Stanford University.
How Kids Develop Resiliency
Stronger Than Their Struggles
WestEd's Bonnie Benard was interviewed for an article about fostering resiliency in children. Benard, the author of Resiliency: What We Have Learned, emphasized the importance of children developing strong connections to people who care about them. Family, school, and community are key components for sustaining the caring relationships that create resiliency.
WestEd Partners With Ohio Organizations
Infant and Toddler Guidelines Unveiled
The Ohio Child Care Resource and Referral Association announced new guidelines for parents, child care providers, and policymakers covering children from birth to age three. WestEd's Center for Child and Family Studies, led by Peter Mangione and Ron Lally, partnered with a team of private and public organizations to create the guidelines, which also link to Ohio's Early Learning Content Standards to create a seamless path from birth to school. Other partners include Build Ohio and Ohio's Department of Education, Department of Health, and Department of Job and Family Services.
WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey
Long Beach Students Afraid of Violence
WestEd's biannual California Healthy Kids Survey revealed that many Long Beach, California students are afraid of being targeted for violence on school campuses, and many also reported participating in fights. Data from this year's survey also confirmed a trend in decreasing alcohol, marijuana, and other drug use first noticed in 2001. The statewide survey, which can only be administered with parental permission, is required for all schools receiving federal and state anti-drug and anti-tobacco funds.
WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey
Drugs at Home: Adolescent Addicts Common in Tehachapi
This article about increasing rates of adolescent drug use in the Tehachapi community cites evidence from WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS). In Kern County, the survey showed that 68 percent of 11-graders have tried alcohol. The same survey showed that 32 percent of Kern County 11-graders report having been high in the last 30 days. WestEd's CHKS diagnostic survey is designed to provide reliable data to parents, schools, and communities about youth risk behaviors.
NCLB/IDEA Conference a Success
"Joining Forces: High Achievement for Each and Every Student"
WestEd's Northeast Regional Resource Center (NERRC) hosted an invitational conference for state policy makers, leaders of state organizations, and parents on how to best leverage No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to improve achievement for all students. The event, cosponsored by several technical assistance providers in the northeast, included a keynote speech by Ray McNulty, senior consultant for the International Center for Leadership in Education.
WestEd at the California Association for the Education of Young Children Conference
Staff from WestEd's Program for Infant/Toddler Care (PITC) presented seven workshops at the California Association for the Education of Young Children 2007 annual conference in San Jose. Topics included infant attachment, culture, program management, social and emotional learning, and group care.
Improving Education for Students with Disabilities
WestEd Webcast Reaches National Audience
WestEd's SchoolsMovingUp hosted a national webcast on how to improve achievement for all students by leveraging the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). WestEd's Kristin Myers Reedy and Vicki Hornus from WestEd's Northeast Regional Resource Center (NERRC) shared information and strategies with nearly 200 participants, including leaders from state departments of education, school principals, district administrators, staff development trainers, parents, and district technology coordinators. Participant feedback was positive, including one person who said, "Networking through the webcast with participants from different states was very beneficial." The free archive is available at www.SchoolsMovingUp.net/IDEA.
Aida Walqui Selected for Keynote Address
NABE 2006 Convention
Aida Walqui, Director of WestEd's Teacher Professional Development Program, has been invited to address attendees at the National Association for Bilingual Education 2006 annual conference in Phoenix, Arizona. Her keynote presentation, "Quality Teaching with Second Language Learners," will present current research on successful approaches to teaching English learners. Other speakers include the Honorable Mike Honda, Member of Congress, and Peterson Zah, former President, Navajo Nation. WestEd will be at Booth #326 in the convention exhibit hall.
Curriculum Review Interviews Jordan Horowitz
Going Inside High School Reform
The January 2006 issue of Curriculum Review includes an in-depth interview with Jordan Horowitz, Senior Project Director with WestEd's Evaluation Research Program, entitled "Sustaining Successful School Reform." Horowitz, the lead author of Inside High School Reform: Making the Changes That Matter, discusses critical lessons and compelling successes of the 28 high schools in the California Academic Partnership Program.
WestEd Report Helps Spark Substance Abuse Programs
Continuation Schools Get Grant to Tackle Alcohol Abuse
Five San Diego county continuation high schools have received federal grants to operate classes that address student alcohol and other drug use, along with issues such as self-esteem and peer pressure. The grants were spurred by a WestEd report authored by Greg Austin, Director of the Health & Human Development Program, showing the need for programs with such classes. Austin’s quantitative study for the California Department of Justice detailed that continuation high school students are at high risk for substance abuse, including alcohol, marijuana, tobacco, and other drugs. Regarding the new classes' impact, one student said, "I've learned a lot. It's made me think, 'Do I really want to do those things?'"
Report on Differentiated Teacher Compensation
Teachers Seeking Pact
WestEd's newest "Policy Trends" report, Reforming Teacher Pay: The Search for a Workable Goal-Driven Compensation System, is featured in an article detailing salary considerations for Pittsburgh Public Schools. The article addresses how contract negotiators are considering tying teachers' pay to performance.
Resiliency Recommended for School-Family-Community Research
Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning
The University of Illinois at Chicago's Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) has recommended Bonnie Benard's book, Resiliency: What We Have Learned, as a recommended book for educators. CASEL's recent newsletter on the school-family-community connection praised the book for its "positive view of prevention."
WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey Provides Important Data
A Portrait of Preteens in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties
"A Portrait of Preteens in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties (PDF)," a report released by the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health and The Preteen Alliance, summarizes the state of preteens (ages 9 to 13) in these two counties, compared to the state as a whole. Much of the data on emotional health, behavioral health and safety, academics and school environment, and physical health was provided by WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey. The report also reviews national research about this significant transition period between childhood and adolescence, and offers recommendations to improve the data available for this age group.
WestEd Congratulates Our Newest Citizen
Echo Chen Receives U.S. Citizenship
Echo Chen, from WestEd's Quality Teaching for English Learners project, was sworn in as a United States citizen during a ceremony this morning at San Francisco's Nob Hill Masonic Center. A native of Shanghai, China, Chen came to the U.S. in 2001. "We're all proud of Echo's latest achievement, and delighted that she enriches our team with her efficiency and valuable immigrant and second language acquisition experience," said Aida Walqui, Director of the Teacher Professional Development Program.
NSTA Brings Together Nation’s Prominent Science Education Experts
WestEd Invited to Present Science Teacher Institute
WestEd is one of nine national leaders in science education invited to present preconference professional development institutes at the 54th National Conference on Science Education in Anaheim, California, April 6-9, 2006. Kathy DiRanna, director of WestEd's K-12 Alliance, will lead a workshop on the Teacher Learning Collaborative protocol for teacher professional development, which has been shown to improve student achievement. To see all of WestEd's NSTA presentations, visit the agency's calendar.
Resiliency to Improve Kids' Well-Being and Academic Achievement
Albany Unified Hosts Its First Health Summit
WestEd Senior Program Associate Bonnie Benard led a public workshop on resiliency for the Albany (CA) Unified School District's first Youth Health Summit. Using materials from Benard's book, Resiliency: What We Have Learned, as well as local data collected from WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey, parents, students, community members, health care professionals, teachers, and district staff began developing concrete ways that Albany schools can enhance students' well-being, and therefore improve academic achievement.
Study Finds No Evidence Favoring Either English-Only or Bilingual Approach
REPORT: "Effects of the Implementation of Proposition 227 on the Education of English Learners, K-12"
WestEd's Robert Linquanti collaborated with the American Institutes for Research on a report studying the effects of California's Proposition 227 on English learners' education. Passed in California in 1998, the proposition requires that English learners be taught “overwhelmingly in English." The five-year report was released to the public this week and received widespread coverage throughout the state, including KQED television and radio (San Francisco), KPBS radio (San Diego), KCBS radio (San Francisco), Univision television, and Telemundo television. Read some of the newspaper coverage:
Says Linquanti, “Our findings suggest that it is not the language of instruction but rather the quality of instruction that matters most." For more information, read the press release.
- San Diego Union Tribune: Evaluating English Learning
- The Mercury News (San Jose): Study Averts Teaching Debate
- San Francisco Chronicle: No Benefit Found in English-Only Instruction
- Press Enterprise (Riverside, CA): Study Findings Muddy Debate
- Contra Costa Times: Prop. 227 Review Produces Mixed Results
- Education Week: Prop. 227 Seen as Focusing on "Wrong Issue"
New Public Face for WestEd's Northeast Regional Resource Center (NERRC)
Regional Resource and Federal Centers (RRFC) Network Launches Website
The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) at the U.S. Department of Education has launched a new website that jointly manages information for all the Regional Resource Centers (RRCs). The OSEP RRC Network’s goal is to increase the quality, depth, and utility of information provided to administrators, policymakers, educators, and parents regarding the Individuals With Disabilities Act (IDEA). Although RCCs are separately funded and managed, they form a coordinated network of technical assistance centers that collaborate nationwide to meet the needs of their client states. WestEd operates one of the RCCs, the Northeast Regional Resource Center (NERRC).
WestEd Develops Online Public School Choice Toolkit
ED's Office of Innovation and Improvement Launches Website
WestEd has created a new website, www.buildingchoice.org, designed to help districts implement and expand their public school choice offerings. The website highlights several districts on the leading edge of expanding family education options, and offers sample forms, tools, and other practical resources drawn from promising practices. The website was developed for the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Innovation and Improvement in partnership with Edvance Research.
German Language Edition of Reading for Understanding Released
Strategic Literacy Initiative Reaches European Audience
Reading for Understanding: A Guide to Improving Reading in Middle and High School Classrooms has just been published in Germany by Cornelsen Verlag Scriptor. The book presents the research of WestEd's Strategic Literacy Initiative (SLI), which helps students become more motivated and successful readers and writers. SLI is codirected by Ruth Schoenbach and Cynthia Greenleaf, two of the book's coauthors. The English language edition has sold over 75,000 copies.
WestEd Webcast Reaches National Audience
Converting to Smaller Learning Communities
WestEd's SchoolsMovingUp hosted a free webcast outlining the steps necessary for successfully converting large high schools to smaller learning communities. Rose Owens-West, Senior Project Director for WestEd's Comprehensive School Assistance Program, presented information compiled by WestEd staff from visits to high schools across eight states. She included the most current research on why some high schools make the conversion more easily than others and provided best practices for helping schools get ready to make the transformation. The event is archived at www.schoolsmovingup.net/events/smallerlearningcommunities.
WestEd Webcast Reaches National Audience
Improving Education for High School Kids
WestEd's SchoolsMovingUp hosted a free webcast, Inside High School Reform: Making the Changes That Matter, detailing the reform efforts of 28 California high schools where educators collaborated to fundamentally change expectations for students — in effect, to prepare all students for postsecondary education. The online event attracted participants from across the country and was presented by Jordan Horowitz, author of a recent book on the same topic. The event is archived at www.SchoolsMovingUp.net/events/highschoolreform.
Research on English Learners Presented
WestEd At CABE 2006
Several WestEd researchers gave presentations on improving instruction for English learners ranging from toddlers to high school students at the annual meeting of the California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE) in San Jose. Aida Walqui, Director of WestEd's Quality Teaching for English Learners professional development services, was a featured speaker. Visit the WestEd calendar for descriptions of all ten presentations.
Dr. Art's Guide to Science
New Book Portrays the "Big Picture" for Kids and Teachers
WestEd's renowned science educator "Dr. Art" Sussman has a passion – to show kids how science connects with their everyday lives. His new book, Dr. Art's Guide to Science: Connecting Atoms, Galaxies, and Everything in Between, for children age 12 and up, illustrates how otherwise abstract concepts like magnetism, energy, and subatomic particles explain both the commonplace and seemingly mysterious things we encounter around us. "I want to tell the story of science in a way that makes sense to kids," says Dr. Art. "The best way for kids to master science standards is to be excited and delighted by what they are learning. My book helps students – and teachers – experience science as the wonderfully grand story of life and the universe." Supporting materials are provided in a DVD entitled Dr. Art Does Science, as well as a website, www.guidetoscience.net.
WestEd's Center for Educational Equity Notes National Trend
Schools' Expulsion Disparity Debated
According to the Stockton Record, the Tracy Unified School District expels African-American and Latino students at a rate disproportionate to their presence in the school district. In the article, Leonard Beckum, former Director of WestEd's Center for Educational Equity, notes that this is a trend affecting school districts across the country.
Smaller Learning Communities in the Spotlight
Miami-Dade Could Adopt Plan to Start Career-Themed Academies
WestEd's Rose Owens-West, an expert in smaller learning communities, is quoted in a Miami Herald article regarding Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Rudy Crew's plan to institute smaller learning communities at 12 senior high schools. The rest of the district's high schools would convert in future years. If the school board approves creating the smaller, career-themed academies, it would be the country's largest district to adopt academies for all students at all high schools.
Strategies From Improving Schools and Districts
On the Right Track 4 Conference
WestEd’s California Comprehensive Center and the California Department of Education hosted a successful symposium featuring interactive presentations from California schools and districts that have improved student achievement. The fourth annual event brought together nearly 400 education leaders for two days of intensive professional development and school improvement planning.
WestEd Named One of the Best Places to Work in the Bay Area
For the third consecutive year, WestEd was named one of the "Best Places to Work in the Bay Area" by the San Francisco Business Times, the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, and the East Bay Business Times. More than 400 companies competed for inclusion on the list. Organizations were selected largely on the basis of over 100,000 anonymous employee surveys.
Best Places to Work in Bay Area 2006
For the third consecutive year, WestEd was named one of the "Best Places to Work in the Bay Area" by the San Francisco Business Times, the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, and the East Bay Business Times. More than 400 companies competed for inclusion on the list. Organizations were selected largely on the basis of over 100,000 anonymous employee surveys.
Improving English Learners' Access to Higher Level Instruction
The Bumpy Road to Fluency in English
Robert Linquanti, Project Director for WestEd’s English Learner Evaluation and Accountability Support services, was interviewed regarding the difficult road for English learners toward redesignation as fluent and proficient in English. According to Linquanti, “If students are labeled English learners for too long, they may get stuck in a track that doesn’t get them higher level instruction.” Linquanti also presented his research on redesignation at the recent annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association in a paper entitled, "Redesignation High and Low: An Analysis of Redesignation Policies and Practices in California School Districts."
WestEd’s English Learner Expertise in the Spotlight
Washington Commentary: A New People
A policy-oriented editorial on cultural diversity, immigration, and education references WestEd’s high quality English learner research and professional development services. The opinion piece refers to WestEd's Robert Linquanti and his collaboration with the American Institutes for Research on a report studying the effects of California's Proposition 227 on English learners' education. The author also remarks on the efficacy of WestEd's Quality Teaching for English Learners (QTEL) professional development services in New York City public schools, directed by Aida Walqui. Students benefiting from the instructional improvements made through QTEL professional development have shown gains in achievement, reflected by scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as "The Nation’s Report Card."
WestEd’s Reading Apprenticeship Featured
Helping Students Meet High Literacy Demands
The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) newsletter featured several researchers from WestEd’s Strategic Literacy Initiative. Senior Research Associate Jane Braunger, past chair of NCTE’s Commission on Reading, was quoted on the achievement gap between white students and black and Hispanic students, as well as performance discrepancies between large town and suburban areas as compared to urban and rural areas. Braunger has recently coauthored a book on creating evidence-based instructional programs and materials for reading, Building a Knowledge Base in Reading. Diane Waff, Senior Program Associate, was interviewed regarding both a sustained silent reading program and the Reading Apprenticeship approach outlined in Reading for Understanding: A Guide to Improving Reading in Middle and High School Classrooms.
WestEd Policy Brief, Full-Day Kindergarten, in the News
Class Assignment Shows Varied Levels of Abilities
Full-Day Kindergarten: Expanding Learning Opportunities, a publication of WestEd's Policy Center, was used as a source for an article about proposals to increase the number of hours Lincoln, Nebraska, kindergarteners spend in school. Current Nebraska law requires a half a day of instruction for those students who enroll in kindergarten.
WestEd Policy Brief, Full-Day Kindergarten, in the News
Longer Day for Little Ones
The Oakland Unified School District will have mandatory full-day kindergarten in all schools by Fall 2006. Full-Day Kindergarten: Expanding Learning Opportunities, a publication of WestEd's Policy Center, was used as a source for this article about the new policy.
National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) 2006 Conference
WestEd Researchers Present More Than 20 Sessions
Researchers and professional development experts from several WestEd offices presented over 20 sessions at the recent NSTA annual meeting. Topics included updates from several ongoing National Science Foundation studies, literacy and science, English learners' access to scientific language, instructional improvement, assessment, and technology. "Dr. Art" Sussman, Senior Project Manager with WestEd’s Mathematics, Science, and Technology Program, signed copies of his new book, Dr. Art's Guide to Science: Connecting Atoms, Galaxies, and Everything in Between, and the accompanying DVD.
The American Educational Research Association (AERA) 2006 Annual Meeting
WestEd Researchers Participate in More Than 30 Presentations
The depth and breadth of WestEd's research was well-represented at the recent AERA meeting, with more than 30 presentations featuring our experts from across the country. A variety of innovative studies was presented, covering topics such as early childhood development, student assessment and accountability, K-12 content areas and literacy, English learners and instructional improvement, education policy and school reform, and statistical modeling and research study design.
California Healthy Kids Survey Results for Modesto City Schools
Survey: Many 11th-Graders Drinking
The Modesto Teachers Association held a series of workshops in response to results from WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey, which showed a high rate of gang involvement and alcohol and other drug use among local high school students.
Results from California Healthy Kids Survey Spark Community Workshop
Alcohol Use Among Our Kids Cause for Worry
The Modesto Police Department, the Modesto Teachers Association, the Modesto City Schools, and the California Teachers Association sponsored a community workshop on alcohol awareness after the California Healthy Kids Survey found that more than half of Modesto juniors consumed at least one alcoholic beverage in the previous month. The rates were higher than those found in most other regions of California.
WestEd Develops BuildingChoice.org for U.S. Department of Education
Website Profiles Magnet Schools
WestEd and Edvance Research teamed up to create BuildingChoice.org for the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Innovation and Improvement. The online resource helps districts implement and expand their public school choice offerings. It also highlights best practices from several districts on the leading edge of expanding family education options, including the magnet school program in Hamilton County, Tennessee.
Favorable Reviews From Science Experts
Dr. Art's Guide to Science
Dr. Art's Guide to Science: Connecting Atoms, Galaxies, and Everything in Between by WestEd's renowned science educator "Dr. Art" Sussman recently received exceptional notices from two leading science education resource reviewers, the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and Science News Books (SNB). SNB praises author Dr. Art's ability to introduce complex subjects and scientific thinking to young readers, and NSTA says, "The accuracy of the science far outpaces other sources that are readable by younger students." The book is being translated for publication in South Korea.
Failing College: Why So Many Drop Out
WestEd Policy Perspectives: Aligning High School Curriculum to College Expectations
Millions of high school seniors have signed college acceptance letters as of May 1, but does making it into college ensure academic success and a degree? A new WestEd Policy Perspectives paper by David T. Conley argues that high schools and colleges haven't aligned their separate education systems enough to eliminate college remedial work, decrease college dropout rates, and speed the time toward earning a baccalaureate degree. Read the press release.WestEd's Strategic Literacy Initiative Presents Research
International Reading Association 2006 Annual Convention
Researchers from WestEd's Strategic Literacy Initiative (SLI) participated in several sessions at the International Reading Association (IRA) annual convention in Chicago. During the past several years of research and extensive field-testing, they have developed the Reading Apprenticeship® framework, which has accelerated academic literacy for thousands of adolescent students nationally and internationally. In one session on literacy coaching, Cynthia Greenleaf, co-director of SLI, was sworn in as the president of IRA's Secondary Reading Special Interest Group.
WestEd's Northeast Regional Resource Center
Providing the Right Information for Clients
WestEd Evaluates GEAR UP
Seventh-Graders Set Their Sights on Higher Education
Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) will work with California State University, Sacramento, the University of California at Davis, and the Los Rios Community College District to provide special services to a cohort of students beginning in the seventh grade until high school graduation. The U.S. Department of Education created GEAR UP in 1999 to help low-incomemiddle school students prepare for college. A GEAR UP study in Arizona conducted by WestEd’s Evaluation Research Program found that the dropout rate for participating students was about one fourth that state’s average.
Mesh IDEA, NCLB Goals Through Standards-Based IEPs
WestEd's Special Education Expertise in the Spotlight
The research of Silvia DeRuvo, Special Education Resources Development Specialist for WestEd's Center for Prevention and Early Intervention, was featured in an article about helping special education students master grade-level standards. According to DeRuvo, teachers can use Individualized Education Programs to focus on standards and attain adequate yearly progress, therefore meeting the goals of both the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and No Child Left Behind.
WestEd's SchoolsMovingUp Hosts National Webcast
IDEA and Literacy
WestEd's SchoolsMovingUp hosted a free interactive presentation on strategies for fostering reading success that are aligned with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004. Catherine Christo, professor of school psychology at the California State University, Sacramento, discussed the characteristics of research-based interventions and essential elements of a response to intervention model. The event is archived here.
WestEd's SchoolsMovingUp Hosts National Webcast
Successful Strategies for Middle and High School Inclusion
WestEd's SchoolsMovingUp hosted a free interactive presentation on practical classroom applications to support students with mild to moderate disabilities in the general education setting. Lisa Dieker, Associate Professor in the Department of Child, Family, and Community Sciences at the University of Central Florida, discussed co-teaching between general education and special education; building collaborative school and classroom environments; and adapting the environment, as well as curriculum and instruction, with techniques proven to help all students. The event is archived here.
WestEd's SchoolsMovingUp Hosts National Webcast
Standards-Based Instruction: Could It Happen in Special Education?
Silvia DeRuvo, Special Education Resources Development Specialist for WestEd's Center for Prevention and Early Intervention, led a SchoolsMovingUp webcast on how to meet standards-based goals of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). She also illustrated how appropriately written IEPs can support the attainment of grade-level standard skills for students with disabilities, thus helping schools make adequate yearly progress as required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The event is archived here.
WestEd's Kathy Comfort Addresses National Experts
Sixth Annual Leadership Initiative in Science Education
Kathy Comfort, Principal Investigator and Director of WestEd's Partnership for the Assessment of Standards-Based Science (PASS), was invited to address this year's gathering of the Leadership Initiative in Science Education. Comfort presented research on using data from standards-based instruction to improve student achievement. PASS science assessments are used in 22 states, and employ a unique balance of measures — hands-on performance tasks, constructed-response investigations, open-ended questions, and enhanced multiple-choice items — to measure student progress.
Susan Villani Publishes on Teacher Retention
Integrating Mentoring With Coaching: Unrealized Benefits
Susan Villani, Senior Program Associate at WestEd's Learning Innovations, published an article on teacher leadership in Perspectives, the quarterly journal of the Massachusetts Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. "Integrating Mentoring With Coaching: Unrealized Benefits" discusses the benefits of high-quality mentoring and coaching for improving teacher retention. The article has been reprinted with permission in the Summer 2006 issue of Best Practices, the journal of the American Association of School Personnel Administrators.
Stanley Rabinowitz Featured on Live Call-In Program
California High School Exit Exams
Stanley Rabinowitz, Director of WestEd's Assessment and Standards Development Services as well as the national Assessment and Accountability Comprehensive Center, was a guest on KQED radio's Forum, a daily live call-in show. Host Michael Krasny discussed high school exit exams and the court case that may overturn them. Other panelists included Russlyn Ali, Executive Director of Education Trust-West; a lead counsel in the case challenging the legality of the California High School Exit Exam; a high school educator; and a local school board member.
WestEd's SchoolsMovingUp Hosts National Webcast
Bridging Cultures
Noelle Caskey, Senior Research Associate in WestEd's Comprehensive School Assistance Program, led a SchoolsMovingUp webcast on understanding the values and behavior of children and families from non-mainstream cultures. Participants learned about the differences between more collaborative and individualistic cultures, and how some of those differences can show up in school settings. The event is archived here.
WestEd's Policy Perspectives
Creating a System That Prepares Students for College Success
A new WestEd Policy Perspectives paper by David T. Conley was featured in two recent articles about aligning high school curriculum to college expectations. In What We Must Do to Create a System That Prepares Students for College Success, Conley argues that better alignment would help eliminate college remedial work, decrease college dropout rates, and speed the time toward earning a baccalaureate degree.
Stanley Rabinowitz on Arizona's High School Exit Exam
AIMS to Cost 1,000 a Diploma: 2% of Seniors Won't Pass Exit Exam
Stanley Rabinowitz, Director of WestEd's Assessment and Standards Development Services as well as the national Assessment and Accountability Comprehensive Center, was interviewed for an article on Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS) test. Rabinowitz, who worked with the State Board of Education to design AIMS, said that it is an important tool for setting statewide academic standards and improving curricula.
Third Annual Conference on Science Classroom Formative Assessment a Success
At the recent Center for Assessment and Evaluation of Student Learning (CAESL) 2006 conference, WestEd hosted approximately 150 participants from over 50 school districts and other organizations on improving student learning through formative assessment. For five years, WestEd has been the lead institution for CAESL, a National Science Foundation-funded collaborative that includes the University of California, Los Angeles, University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, and the Lawrence Hall of Science.
Robert Linquanti on English Learners and Bilingual Education
The California Report: The Language of Learning
Robert Linquanti, Project Director for English Learner Evaluation and Accountability Support services in WestEd’s Comprehensive School Assistance Program, was featured in the first of a six-part series, The Language of Learning, about how California is teaching English to children who are immigrants or the children of immigrants. The first segment, "What's At Stake?", examined how Proposition 227 challenged a sixth-grader and his teacher at a school near Sacramento.
Aida Walqui Provides Keynote Address
New York State Association for Bilingual Education Conference
Aida Walqui, Director of WestEd's Quality Teaching for English Learners professional development services, delivered a keynote presentation at the 29th annual New York State Association for Bilingual Education Conference in Melville, New York. Walqui's presentation, "Myths About the Education of English Language Learners and Their Teachers," dispelled the common misconceptions about teaching English learners, including "students should not be given texts above their reading levels"; "all English learners are immigrants;" and "children are better language learners than adolescents and adults." The presentation can be downloaded here (PDF).
California Healthy Kids Survey Data Used for Anti-Gang Programs
Could Your Child Be In a Gang?
WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey found that high percentages of middle and high school students in Santa Rosa, California claim membership in a street gang. The anonymous survey was administered to over 4,000 students in the city, and the resulting data will help Santa Rosa’s mayor and local school district craft new anti-gang programs.
Senta Raizen Participates in Press Briefing
2005 NAEP Science Results Announced
The National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), also known as "The Nation's Report Card," announced the results of the 2005 NAEP science tests. As an expert on the NAEP science assessment framework and content, Senta Raizen, Director of WestEd's National Center for Improving Science Education, was a press briefing panelist at the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C. She was joined by Sheila Ford, Vice Chair of the National Assessment Governing Board, and Arnold Goldstein, NAEP Project Officer at the National Center for Education Statistics. The NAEP science assessments showed mixed results; since 1996, fourth-grade performance improved while 12th grade declined. Complete national and state science reports are available at the NAEP website.
A Conversation With Robert Linquanti
A Researcher Speaks About the Lessons Learned From Proposition 227
Robert Linquanti, Project Director for English Learner Evaluation and Accountability Support services in WestEd’s Comprehensive School Assistance Program, was interviewed by California Schools Magazine regarding bilingual education. Linquanti recently completed a five-year evaluation of the effects of California's Proposition 227 on English learners' education. The study, conducted in partnership with the American Institutes for Research, concluded that the quality of instruction matters more than the language of instruction. Read more about the study here.
WestEd Researchers Present Projects in Math, Science, and Literacy
The Institute of Education Sciences 2006 Research Conference
WestEd researchers presented on math, science, and literacy projects at the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) 2006 Research Conference in Washington, D.C. As the research arm of the U.S. Department of Education, IES encourages randomized-control trials of instructional programs and practices that will help close the achievement gap. Click here for a description of the studies that WestEd presented.
Dr. Art's Guide to Science Receives Favorable Review
Sustainable Living Teacher-In-Residence Praises "Big Picture" Perspective
Dr. Art's Guide to Science: Connecting Atoms, Galaxies, and Everything in Between by WestEd's science educator "Dr. Art" Sussman recently received a strong review from the Center for Ecoliteracy (CEL), a science-based organization promoting sustainable living. Stephen Rutherford, CEL teacher-in-residence, said the book is ideal for ninth-grade science classes. He said it is also appropriate for adults, and provides an excellent foundation on science concepts for elementary school teachers. CEL also praised the companion DVD, Dr. Art Does Science, for modeling engaging science teaching, and recommended the accompanying website, www.guidetoscience.net, as a useful resource.
WestEd's SchoolsMovingUp Hosts National Webcast
Schools on the Right Track: Lee Mathson Middle School
WestEd's SchoolsMovingUp and the California Comprehensive Center at WestEd hosted a free interactive presentation on strategies that Lee Mathson Middle School used to make a 198-point gain on California's Academic Performance Index in three years' time, and move from a statewide decile ranking of 1 to 5. Seventh-grade language arts and English language development teacher Kilian Betlach discussed extensive staff collaboration about using student achievement data as well as instructional program changes that improved assessment results at this east San Jose, California, school. The event is archived here.
Dothan City Schools Officials Hope Creating Career Academies Will Produce Small School Benefits
Getting Big to Get Small
WestEd's expertise in creating smaller learning communities (SLC) is cited in a newspaper article describing Dothan City Schools' plan to consolidate two high schools. Creating one large high school will allow the district to create four distinct learning communities, each focused on a specific technical career field. Each SLC will establish a partnership with higher education and industry. Rose Owens-West, Senior Project Director for WestEd's Comprehensive School Assistance Program, recently led a SchoolsMovingUp national webcast on SLCs, archived at www.schoolsmovingup.net/events/smallerlearningcommunities.
WestEd: Policy Perspectives
Reforms That Could Help Narrow the Achievement Gap
A new WestEd Policy Perspectives paper by Richard Rothstein, Research Associate at the Economic Policy Institute, was featured in two recent articles about reforming the social and economic institutions that affect children's ability to learn. Reforms That Could Help Narrow the Achievement Gap outlines a series of reforms, in addition to school improvement, that could help narrow the achievement gap between middle and lower income students, and between black and white students. A free PDF of this Policy Perspectives paper is available at www.WestEd.org/reforms.
WestEd Garners National Communications Awards
Association of Educational Publishers Announces 2006 Winners
In a tough, industry-wide competition, the Association of Educational Publishers (AEP) awarded WestEd two Distinguished Achievement Awards, one for WestEd.org for best institutional education website for adults, and the other for WestEd's monthly E-Bulletin for best newsletter. WestEd.org also won AEP's Beacon Award, recognizing it as the nation's best education e-commerce website.
Distinguished Achievement Award and Beacon Award
In a stiff industry-wide competition, the Association of Educational Publishers (AEP) awarded WestEd two Distinguished Achievement Awards, one for WestEd.org for best institutional education website for adults, and the other for WestEd's monthly E-Bulletin for best newsletter. WestEd.org also won AEP's Beacon Award, recognizing it as the nation's best education e-commerce website.
WestEd at the National Educational Computing Conference
Blogs, Webcasts, Podcasts, and More
WestEd's technology specialists participated in the National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) in San Diego. Kurt Larsen, Senior Research Associate in WestEd’s Application Development Group, co-chaired several poster sessions and co-hosted an NECC blog incorporating podcasts of education technology experts, available at edbits.org/necc. Among them was Julie Duffield, manager of WestEd's Using Technology to Support Diverse Learners project, speaking on the power of differentiated instruction. Chris Walsh, former Digital Learning Specialist at WestEd, hosted a live Internet TV show, NECC Live!, archived at www.kzowebcasting.com/necc. Walsh also presented at three sessions on technology, content, and learning.
CCSSO 36th Annual Conference on Large-Scale Assessment
WestEd Researchers Participate in 11 Sessions
WestEd's work in assessment was on display at the recent Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) meeting, with 11 presentations featuring experts on topics ranging from policy to technical issues when designing large-scale assessments. WestEd presented on assessing students with disabilities, state growth models, validity indicators, standards articulation and alignment, cognitive processes elicited by test items, and other topics. Several sessions focused on science assessment, including the National Assessment of Educational Progress science framework that WestEd's National Center for Improving Science Education is developing. CCSSO closed with a session helping states meet the assessment challenges of No Child Left Behind legislation led by the U.S. Department of Education and WestEd's Assessment and Accountability Comprehensive Center, headed by Stanley Rabinowitz.
A School's Remarkable Rebound
Others Can Learn From Transformation of Lee Mathson Middle School
In a San Jose Mercury News editorial, a free webcast hosted by WestEd's SchoolsMovingUp and the California Comprehensive Center at WestEd was referenced as a source for learning about the changes that Lee Mathson Middle School in San Jose, California has made to improve student achievement. The Mercury News praised the school for being a model of school reform, especially for schools located in high-poverty areas. The event is archived here.
WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey Provides Critical Data
San Benito High School Drafts Plan to Slow Dropout Rate
WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey was cited as an impetus for San Benito High School's new dropout prevention plan. Based on survey data, student engagement and meaningful participation are now a key part of the Hollister, California school strategy for improving graduation rates for incoming ninth graders.
WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey Results Announced
Report Examines Student Behavior
The San Benito High School District, Hollister, California, released the results of WestEd's 2005 WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey for their participating schools. The report showed that freshmen are more likely to engage in alcohol and other drug use than in previous years, but that juniors are less likely to engage in those activities. In response to survey data, Superintendent Jean Slater Burns reaffirmed her commitment to improving academic and social support for incoming ninth-grade students throughout the district.
WestEd's Policy Program Says It's a Matter of Choices
Utah's School Districts: Is Smaller Better?
The Utah legislature passed a law this year allowing cities to break away from large school districts and create new, smaller districts. However, in this article, Paul Koehler, Director of WestEd's Policy Center and the Southwest Comprehensive Center, said there is no research proving that smaller or bigger is better. Rather, Koehler emphasized the importance of weighing the advantages and disadvantages of size, scale, efficiency, and personalization when making district size choices.
Debate Swirls Over Inclusion of Some Students' FCAT Results
Exceptional Students Test Schools
In 2004, Florida state officials began including special education students' scores from Florida's Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). However, some Brevard County school principals lost their jobs when they tried to exclude those scores to raise their schools' overall marks. Edynn Sato, Director of Special Populations for WestEd's Assessment and Standards Development Services program, was quoted at length in this article highlighting the challenges of assessing students with disabilities and explaining the national trends toward inclusive instruction and assessment.
Petaluma, California Acts on Results: California Healthy Kids Survey
City Explores Law Targeting Adults on Teen Drinking
Data from WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey indicate higher rates of teen binge drinking in Petaluma, California, than those reported by other students across the state. In response, city officials are considering an ordinance targeting adults who allow minors to drink alcohol on their property. The ordinance is backed by the Petaluma Coalition to Prevent Binge Drinking and the Petaluma Youth Commission.
WestEd Policy Report Cited
Nevada Considers Teacher Merit Pay Plan
According to School Reform News, some Nevada politicians and state legislative leaders have proposed combining across-the-board teacher salary increases with pay incentives for raising student test scores. The article cites Student Achievement and Graduation Rates in Nevada: Urgent Need for Faster Reform, a 2005 report issued by WestEd's Policy Center, directed by Paul Koehler, outlining problems and solutions for the state's education system.
WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey Spurs Action
City Urged to Help Fund Youth Programs
Whitney Hall, chair of the Petaluma, California Youth Commission, challenged the Petaluma City Council to fund more social service programs for youth. At the meeting, Hall presented data from WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey showing that alcohol use by local high school students far exceeds the state's average.
WestEd Bridges Gap Between Theory and Practice
The Uniqueness of Infancy Demands a Responsive Approach to Care
Ron Lally and Peter Mangione, Co-Directors of WestEd's Center for Child and Family Studies (CCFS), published an article in Young Children advocating that infant/toddler care should correlate to the rapid brain development in children, age birth to two. Infants rapidly move through three major developmental stages in the first two years that are unique in the human life cycle. The article provides research-based suggestions for caregivers, programs, and curricula that are responsive to infant needs in each stage, and represents many of the principles that gave birth to CCFS's Program for Infant/Toddler Caregivers. The Program for Infant/Toddler Caregivers, internationally recognized as the most comprehensive infant/toddler care training available, will celebrate its 20th anniversary with a national symposium, 20/20 Vision, on October 5, 2006.
Commitment to Achieving Diversity in Hiring
WestEd at the 2006 National Council of La Raza Annual Conference
As part of WestEd's pledge to maintain and increase staff diversity, Walter Blount, Director of Human Resources at WestEd, exhibited at the 2006 National Council of La Raza Annual Conference in Los Angeles. The nonprofit organization is the nation's largest Latino civil rights and advocacy group. Blount was joined by Jacinto Salazar, Project Manager for WestEd's Migrant Student Information Network, and Armando Tafoya, Research Associate with WestEd's Evaluation Research Program. To read more about WestEd's comittment to staff diversity, click here.
Recommendations Presented to the Governor's Prevention Advisory Council
WestEd's California Student Survey Results
Gregory Austin, Director of WestEd's Health & Human Development Program, presented the results of the 2003-04 Biennial California Student Survey (CSS) to the Governor's Prevention Advisory Council. CSS has measured alcohol and other drug use and other risk behaviors among California students since 1985. Heavy Substance Use Among California Students, available on the California Alcohol and Drug Programs' website, highlights the need for coordinating prevention strategies among schools and districts, the juvenile justice system, community groups, and student assistance programs.
WebDialogues Technology Facilitates Bilingual Civic Engagement
Public Consultation in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin: Online and Face-to-Face
A recent bilingual online learning event, facilitated by WestEd's WebDialogues technology, is featured in the current issue of National Civic Review. The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement Review WebDialogue, developed by WestEd's Laurie Maak, WebDialogues Manager, and hosted by the International Joint Commission, brought together stakeholders in the United States and Canada to develop public policy for the region.
Quality Teaching for English Learners
Institute for High School Language Arts, ESL, and Social Studies Teachers
The Quality Teaching for English Learners (QTEL) project, directed by Aida Walqui, hosted over 50 high school teachers from across the country in a week-long Building the Base Institute at WestEd's San Francisco offices. Participants learned theory-based strategies for effectively teaching academic language to English learners in core content areas. Approximately 4.5 million English learners are enrolled in U.S. public schools and over 40 percent of public school teachers have English learners in their classrooms. But only 12.5 percent of teachers have had eight or more hours of professional development focused on teaching these students.
Turning to the Evidence
Investigating the Value of Mathematics Classroom Artifacts
WestEd has teamed up with the Education Development Center (EDC) to conduct a four-year research study designed to measure the effectiveness of classroom artifacts in mathematics classrooms. The study will employ qualitative and quantitative methods to track 52 middle and high school teachers from four school districts, and will examine the most effective ways to use artifacts in professional development programs. Nanette Seago and Judy Mumme, from WestEd's Mathematics and Science Program, are two key researchers in this National Science Foundation-funded study. Portions of Seago and Mumme's research have been published in Learning and Teaching Linear Functions Video Cases for Mathematics Professional Development, 6-10.
WestEd Presents College Scholarship
Far West High School Student Marisel Ortiz-Melendrez Receives Award
Marisel Ortiz-Melendrez, Far West High School Valedictorian, was recently awarded a college scholarship from WestEd in recognition of her academic achievements. Rose Owens-West, Associate Director of the California Comprehensive Center at WestEd, presented the award to the University of California, Santa Cruz-bound senior at the school's graduation ceremony. Ortiz-Melendrez also received a commendation at WestEd's quarterly Board meeting from Deanna Winn, Board President.
Mangione to Keynote at "Vision in Action" Institute
Conference for Leaders in Infant/Toddler Care
Peter Mangione, Co-Director of WestEd's Center for Child and Family Studies, will present the keynote lecture at "Vision in Action," the National Association of Childcare Resource and Referral Agencies' Institute for Professional Development in Albuquerque, New Mexico, August 22-25, 2006. Mangione, an internationally known expert in infant/toddler care, has served as an advisor to the U.S. Department of Education and has collaborated in the development of national training for the Early Head Start program. A member of the Board of Directors of the Child Care Law Center, he is currently leading an effort to create learning and development guidelines for California infants and toddlers.
Implementing Bilingual Education Policy at Local Levels
Reassessing the Role of Ethnographic Methods in Education Policy Research
Ann-Marie Wiese, Research Associate with the Center for Child and Family Studies, published a peer-reviewed article in the current issue of Teachers College Record. In the article, "Reassessing the Role of Ethnographic Methods in Education Policy Research: Implementing Bilingual Education Policy at Local Levels," Wiese and coauthor Tom T. Stritikus, Assistant Professor at the University of Washington, explain how ethnographic research can be relevant for education policy. As an example, they present the findings of two independent but parallel ethnographic studies on how California teachers implemented Proposition 227.
General Education and Special Education Collaboration
NERRC Hosts Regional Teacher Quality Forum
The Northeast Regional Resource Center (NERRC), a project of Learning Innovations at WestEd, organized a teacher quality forum for the eight Northeastern states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The two-day event, cosponsored by several education organizations, benefited state administrators charged with developing models for improving the preparation, licensing, and professional development of both general and special education teachers of students with disabilities. The current issue of NERRC Focus (PDF) provides an overview and outcomes of the event.
WestEd Works with ZERO TO THREE Policy Network
Good Health, Strong Families, and Positive Learning Experiences
Ron Lally, Co-Director of WestEd's Center for Child and Family Studies, coauthored two articles in a special policy issue of ZERO TO THREE outlining major issues for infant/toddler care. In "Good Health, Strong Families, and Positive Learning Experiences: Promoting Better Public Policies for America's Infants and Toddlers," Lally and coauthors Erica Lurie-Hurvitz and Julie Cohen from the ZERO TO THREE Policy Center translate current scientific research into language accessible to policymakers. In "Join the ZERO TO THREE Policy Network," the same authors provide practical advice and resources to help infant/toddler caregivers influence federal policymakers, state legislators, and state governors. Lally serves on the Board of Directors for ZERO TO THREE, a national, nonprofit organization dedicated solely to advancing the healthy development of babies and young children.
WestEd at the 2006 AASA Summer Leadership Institute
Koehler and Kearney Provide Expertise at Superintendents Meeting
Paul Koehler, Director of WestEd's Policy Center and Director of the Southwest Comprehensive Center at WestEd, was invited by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) to present a keynote address at the Summer Leadership Institute in Keystone, Colorado. Koehler's presentation, "Facing Ethical Dilemmas With Integrity: Avoiding the Storm," explored ethical challenges faced by leaders in all professions, and was punctuated by real stories from his own experiences as a superintendent in Arizona. His presentation highlighted the key role superintendents play in influencing district staff's ethical behavior and in determining whether or not staff feel committed to a district's goals.
Koehler also co-facilitated a follow-up seminar with Karen Kearney, Director of WestEd's Leadership Initiative project. This interactive session on ethical leadership drew from research, case studies, and analysis templates to show superintendents how to recognize and resolve the ethical dilemmas facing district leaders, while preserving their credibility and integrity in the process. Superintendents shared specific ethical challenges from their home districts, and then coached each other on possible actions they could take upon returning to their sites. The July AASA Summer Leadership Institute gathered nearly 200 district superintendents from across the nation.WestEd's Fred Tempes Testifies in Reauthorization Review
Field Hearings Foster Discussion on NCLB's Promise, Pitfalls
Fred Tempes, Director of WestEd's Comprehensive School Assistance Program, testified at a Santa Rosa, California field hearing held by Representative Dale Kildee, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education. The hearing was one of several regional reviews designed to gather information for the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act.
Rabinowitz Coauthors CCSSO White Paper
Creating Aligned Standards and Assessment Systems
Stanley Rabinowitz, Director of the WestEd/CRESST Assessment and Accountability Comprehensive Center, coauthored an issue paper for the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). "Creating Aligned Standards and Assessment Systems" advises state education departments on how to create consistency across content areas when aligning large-scale assessments with academic content standards. It is available as a free PDF download from the CCSSO website.
Culturally Relevant Math, Science Instruction; Leadership for School Administrators
WestEd Presents Research at Palau Conference
WestEd staff presented two workshops at the 23rd Pacific Educational Conference in the Republic of Palau. Sarah Feldman, Senior Research Associate, presented "Taking Account of NCLB: Developing the Instructional Leadership of Teachers and Administrators," which focused on strategies to promote teaching for student mastery as well as using data to improve instruction. Feldman provided a model for teacher observation and supervision that helps promote conversations among teachers and administrators for advancing student achievement. The workshop addressed Standard Two from the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium, or ISLLC, which states, "A School Administrator is an educational leader who promotes the success of all students by advocating, nurturing, and sustaining a school culture and instructional program conducive to student learning and staff professional growth."
In another workshop, "Transformative Approaches in Math and Science Education: A Conversation on Strategies and Collaboration," Sharon Nelson-Barber, Director of WestEd's Culture and Language in Education project, and Ursula Sexton, Senior Research Associate, presented collaborative approaches that integrate local cultural contexts with academic content. The presentation provided strategies for building and implementing culturally relevant curriculum and assessment practices.
The annual event is the largest education conference in the Pacific region, and is hosted in turn by different island communities. This year's conference included an address by His Excellency Tommy E. Remengesau, Jr., President of the Republic of Palau, and the participating entities included American Samoa, Chuuk, the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Hawaii, Kosrae, Pohnpei, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Yap.Quality Teaching for English Learners
Institute for High School Science Teachers
The Quality Teaching for English Learners (QTEL) project, directed by Aida Walqui, hosted 40 high school teachers from across the country in a week-long Building the Base Institute at WestEd's San Francisco offices. Led by Research Associate Alex Insaurralde, participants learned theory-based strategies for effectively teaching academic language to English learners in science courses. Approximately 4.5 million English learners are enrolled in U.S. public schools and over 40 percent of public school teachers have English learners in their classrooms. But only 12.5 percent of teachers have had eight or more hours of professional development focused on teaching these students.
Quality Teaching for English Learners
Institute for High School Math Teachers
The Quality Teaching for English Learners (QTEL) project, directed by Aida Walqui, hosted 40 high school teachers from across the country in a week-long Building the Base Institute in San Francisco. Led by Research Associate Donna Gaarder, participants learned theory-based strategies for effectively teaching academic language to English learners in mathematics courses. Approximately 4.5 million English learners are enrolled in U.S. public schools and over 40 percent of public school teachers have English learners in their classrooms. But only 12.5 percent of teachers have had eight or more hours of professional development focused on teaching these students.
WestEd Policy Research In the News
Calls Abound for Smaller Class Sizes
An article in The Salt Lake Tribune reports that six bills mandating smaller class sizes is headed to the 2007 Utah State Legislature. The article draws from a policy brief issued by WestEd's Policy Center, headed by Paul Koehler, titled Class Size Reduction: Lessons Learned from Experience. The article was picked up by The Associated Press and ran in several other media outlets.
Southwest Comprehensive Center (SW CC) Partners With State Leaders
Arizona Department of Education's Leading Change Institute
WestEd researchers from the Southwest Comprehensive Center (SW CC) participated in a number of sessions at the Leading Change Institute, sponsored by the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) School Effectiveness Division in collaboration with ADE's Highly Qualified Professionals Unit of the Academic Achievement Division. Presenters included:
Partnering with RMC Research Corporation, WestEd operates the SW CC to provide assistance to state departments/offices of education in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah, as well as to groups and organizations that help districts and schools focusing on NCLB implementation. SW CC is part of a federal network of 16 Regional Centers.
- Marie Mancuso, Associate Director, SW CC — "Effective Leadership Teams: Building Collaborative Learning Communities"
- Sue Harwood, Senior Research Associate, WestEd — "Coach for Success: Eight Ways to Provide Teachers With Specific Feedback"
- Huck Fitterer, Director of Field Services, WestEd — "Keynote: Curriculum, Instruction, and Professional Development"
- John Paul Lapid, Regional Literacy Coach, WestEd — "Teaching for Success: Direct Instruction and Student Engagement"
- Libby Rognier, Senior Research Associate, WestEd — "Understanding and Using Formative and Summative Classroom Assessments"
- Kevin Locklear, Senior Research Associate, WestEd — "How to Use and React to Student Achievement Data"
KidsDay Cub Reporter Praises Book
Dr. Art's Guide to Science
KidsDay reporter and elementary school student Annie Liu praised Dr. Art's Guide to Science: Connecting Atoms, Galaxies, and Everything In Between in a recent review for Newsday. Liu singled out the illustrations and fun facts as particularly appealing to kids.
WestEd Helps CCSSO Prepare Analysis
Setting Coherent Performance Standards
Senior Research Associate Eric Crane from WestEd's Assessment and Standards Development Services, coauthored a national analysis of academic standards coherency, Setting Coherent Performance Standards. The report was prepared for the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), and describes the conditions contributing to a lack of coherence, the existing and evolving state practices for setting standards and using data, and developing performance level descriptors for academic standards. The report is available as a free PDF download on the CCSSO website.
WestEd Participates in U.S. Government Accountability Office Report
Congressional Quarterly Publishes Report on English Learners and NCLB
Stanley Rabinowitz, Director of the WestEd/CRESST Assessment and Accountability Comprehensive Center and WestEd's Assessment and Standards Development Services, contributed to a new U.S. Government Accountability Office report, No Child Left Behind Act: Assistance from Education Could Help States Better Measure Progress of Students with Limited English Proficiency. The report, published in the Congressional Quarterly, analyzes the challenges inherent in accountability requirements for the nation's English learners under the No Child Left Behind Act.
Aida Walqui Heads Efforts to Assess Current State of Research
WestEd Hosts International English Learner Symposium
Aida Walqui, Director of WestEd's Teacher Professional Development Program and the Quality Teaching for English Learners project, hosted a symposium on developing academic language by adolescent English language learners. The symposium mapped the current state of knowledge and research, and laid out the needed research agenda for the next few years. Ten international researchers contributed a paper for discussion:
The discussion yielded significant insights into the barriers to developing a more coherent knowledge base upon which to build future research and technical assistance initiatives.
- Diane August, Center for Applied Linguistics, Washington, D.C.
- Jill Bourne, University of Southhampton, United Kingdom
- Margaret Early, University of British Columbia
- Jennifer Hammond, University of Technology, Sidney, Australia
- Judit Moschkovich, University of California, Santa Cruz
- Jorge Ruiz de Velasco, Stanford University
- Mary Schleppegrell, University of Michigan
- Guadalupe Valdés, Stanford University
- Kerry Enright Villalba, University of California, Davis
- Aida Walqui, WestEd
Instructional and Programmatic Leadership in the Spotlight
WestEd's Karen Kearney Hosts Australian Education Leaders
Karen Kearney, Director of WestEd's Leadership Initiative, hosted a group of Australian education leaders who visited WestEd's San Francisco office for two days. The group comprised 15 Australian principals, district-equivalent administrators, and education ministry representatives. Several WestEd staff members gave presentations:
Kearney also arranged site visits to local schools as well as a meeting with Gwen Chan, Acting Superintendent of the San Francisco Unified School District.
- Lori Van Houten, “Leadership in Developing School Improvement Plans”
- Noelle Caskey, “Bridging Cultures: Leadership for Improving Instruction Through Cultural Awareness”
- Carole Gallagher, “Leadership in Large-Scale Assessments”
- Julie Duffield, “Technology Leadership for Special Education”
- Karen Kearney, “New Principal Induction”
Researchers Probe the Future of California High Schools
WestEd at the Envisioning California Conference
Three WestEd staff presented at the Envisioning California Conference sponsored by the Center for California Studies at California State University, Sacramento. Rose Owens-West, Director of the Regional Smaller Learning Communities Technical Assistance Center and and Associate Director of the California Comprehensive Center at WestEd, was a panelist for a session on restructuring high schools. Jordan Horowitz, author of Inside High School Reform: Making the Changes That Matter and Senior Project Director in WestEd's Evaluation Research Program, participated in a panel, "A-G: Is College Prep for Everyone?" Robert Anderson, Senior Assessment Specialist with WestEd's Comprehensive School Assistance Program, participated in a panel, "The High School Exit Exam: Is It a Valuable Measure of Our Students' Abilities?"
Linquanti Delivers National NCELA/OELA Webcast
Implementing and Modifying NCLB Title III AMAOs
WestEd’s Robert Linquanti presented a national webcast on the key policy and technical issues and options states face in defining, implementing, and modifying annual measurable achievement objectives (AMAOs). The webcast was sponsored by the National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition (NCELA) on behalf of the Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) of the U.S. Department of Education. Linquanti covered a number of issues, including setting progress expectations, defining English proficiency, establishing AMAO target structures, changing assessments, and ensuring AMAOs foster local accountability. The webcast was introduced and closed by Kathleen Leos, Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Education and director of OELA, and was attended by representatives of over 40 states.
Using Technology to Support Diverse Learners
Make It Talk
Julie Duffield, WestEd Research Associate for the Using Technology to Support Diverse Learners project, and assistant technology consultant Lisa Wahl published a technology tip in the current issue of Learning & Leading with Technology, a magazine published by the International Society for Technology in Education. Duffield and Wahl explain how teachers can have classroom computers read text aloud as an instructional strategy.
KALW Features Ron Lally
Your Call: Preschool for All?
J. Ronald Lally, Co-Director of WestEd's Center for Child and Family Studies, was a featured guest on Your Call, a daily program on National Public Radio affiliate KALW. Host Rose Aguilar facilitated the one-hour segment on increasing access to high-quality infant/toddler care, which also included guest Lella Gandini, U.S. Liaison for the Reggio Emilia Program. Both Lally and Gandini also spoke at the 20/20 Vision National Symposium on Infant/Toddler Care, presented in honor of the 20th Anniversary of WestEd's Program for Infant/Toddler Care.
WestEd Evaluates Nutrition Education Program
Healthy Choices, Healthy Me!
WestEd's Health & Human Development Program (HHDP) evaluated a second-grade nutrition education program developed by the Dairy Council of California. Healthy Choices, Healthy Me! was found effective in conveying nutrition concepts and improving students' food choices. Greg Austin directs WestEd's HHDP, which promotes healthy youth development through the understanding and prevention of risky behaviors.
WestEd Joins State Capitol Press Conference
Results of WestEd's 2005-2006 California Student Survey Announced
Gregory Austin and Rodney Skager with WestEd's Health & Human Development Program (HHDP) joined California's Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell and Attorney General Bill Lockyer in announcing the results of the 2005-2006 California Student Survey. HHDP conducts the survey regularly, and the data guide prevention, health education, and school reform efforts designed to promote well-being, positive youth development, and school success. The results are available on the Attorney General's website, safestate.org.
WestEd's Program for Infant/Toddler Care Celebrates 20th Anniversary
20/20 Vision National Symposium
WestEd's Program for Infant/Toddler Care (PITC) celebrated 20 years of promoting high quality care at the 20/20 Vision National Symposium in San Francisco. The program featured the nation's leading experts, including
PITC is the nation's most widely used training program for infant/toddler care.
- Carol Brunson Day, President, Brunson, Phillips, and Day, Inc.
- Pilar Fort, Bilingual Training Specialist, Early Head Start National Resource Center
- Lella Gandini, U.S. Liaison, Reggio Emilia Program
- Judith Jerald, Senior Early Childhood Advisor, Save the Children/U.S. Programs
- J. Ronald Lally, Co-Director, Center for Child and Family Studies, WestEd
- Alicia Lieberman, Professor of Psychology, University of California, San Francisco and Director, Child Trauma Research Project, San Francisco General Hospital
- Peter L. Mangione, Co-Director, Center for Child and Family Studies, WestEd
- Tammy Mann, Deputy Director, ZERO TO THREE
- Carlina Rinaldi, Executive Consultant, Reggio Children and Professor of Science in Early Education, Universities of Modena and Reggio Emilia
- Todd Risley, Professor Emeritus of Psychology, University of Alaska, Anchorage
- Lillian Sugarman, Director, Early Head Start National Resource Center
- Edward Zigler, Sterling Professor of Psychology, Emeritus, Yale University and Director Emeritus, The Edward Zigler Center in Child Development and Social Policy
REL West and Arizona State University Collaborate: Pathways to Success Symposium
Minority-Heavy Schools Seek Vision
Several WestEd staff participated in an invitation-only symposium cosponsored by Arizona State University and the federally funded REL West, the regional laboratory at WestEd. Researchers, high school faculty, and district personnel discussed improving outcomes and raising college-going rates of secondary students in Arizona. Senior Research Associate BethAnn Berliner served as the WestEd liaison for the event.
WestEd Makes Strides Against Breast Cancer
Staff Participate Nationwide in Local Walks
This year more than 250 WestEd staff, board members, consultants, family members, and clients joined several Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walks held across the country. These fundraisers support cancer research and early detection programs that save lives.
BuildingChoice.org in the Spotlight
WestEd at the Voluntary Public School Choice Conference
Nikki Filby, Associate Director of WestEd’s regional laboratory, REL West, and Natasha LaVine, former WestEd Research Associate, presented the BuildingChoice.org website at the Voluntary Public School Choice Conference in Minneapolis. Filby and LaVine gave an overview of the school choice website, which highlights promising practices for building choice programs from agencies nationwide.
National Center for Improving Science Education Weighs In on Science Standards
As States Feel Pressed to Revisit Standards, Calls Are Being Renewed to Tighten Them
Senta Raizen, Director of WestEd's National Center for Improving Science Education, is quoted in an article regarding two new reports on science education standards produced by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the National Research Council. Raizen, who led the effort to develop the new science framework for the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the Nation's Report Card, agrees with the reports' findings. Researchers are in general agreement that the number of core science ideas taught and tested should be reduced to provide substantially deeper and more coherent instruction in the science topics that matter most.
Special Education Publication Features Rebeca Valdivia
Disproportionality at the Preschool Level
Rebeca Valdivia, Director of WestEd's Preschool English Learners project, was invited to write an article for the California Department of Education, Special Education Division newsletter, The Special EDge. In the article, Valdivia addresses the over-representation of children of color and of children who speak a language other than English in special education preschool programs classes. The newsletter reaches 40,000 readers.
Program for Infant/Toddler Care in The Nonprofit Quarterly
Battered Agencies
"Battered Agencies," by Diane F. Reed, J. Ronald Lally, and Douglas Quiett, was published in the Fall 2006 issue of The Nonprofit Quarterly. Battered agencies are those that are hindered by the same types of risk factors facing the families they seek to help in the low-income communities they serve. Culture, race, class, and power differences among these agencies, funders, and community members can be serious barriers to effectively working together. This article is excerpted from WestEd's 2003 report Battered Agencies: Supporting Those Who Serve Low Income Communities, available here (PDF).
WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey Influences Lawmakers
Marin County Communities Battle Underage Drinking
Data collected from WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) influenced lawmakers in Marin County, California to pass an ordinance fining parents up to $2,500 if police catch them hosting parties where underage children are drinking alcohol. The survey found Marin County has a bigger problem of underage drinking than most of the rest of the state, with 54 percent of 11th graders in Marin County drinking alcohol compared to the California average of 44 percent and national average of 27 percent. The ordinance and CHKS received coverage in several media outlets, including
WestEd Evaluates Supplemental Educational Services (SES) Programs
Tutoring Plan Tough to Grade
Sofia Aburto, Senior Research Associate for WestEd's Comprehensive School Assistance Program, was interviewed regarding supplemental educational services (SES) in Orange County, California. The Orange County Register found that few students use a federally funded program providing tutors, and the benefit of tutors is unmeasured for those who do. WestEd prepared a preliminary study on such SES programs for the California Department of Education, and concluded that the state should find out why parents aren't taking advantage of tutoring programs, and create and implement a measurement for judging program effectiveness.
WestEd's Program for Infant/Toddler Care Publishes Research
Emphasis on Care Delivery Systems and Preschool English Learners
The Fall 2006 issue of Bridges, the publication of the California Department of Education's Head Start Collaboration Office, included several articles by WestEd researchers:
- "California’s Infant/Toddler Learning and Development System" by Peter L. Mangione, J. Ronald Lally, Mary Smithberger, Cathy Tsao, Deborah Greenwald, Amy Wagner, Sara Webb-Schmitz, and Kerry Kriener-Althen
- "The Program for Infant/Toddler Care" by Peter L. Mangione, J. Ronald Lally, Mary Smithberger, Janet Poole, Arlene Paxton, Alicia Tuesta, Cathy Tsao, and Kerry Kriener-Althen
- "Educating Preschool English Learners" by Rebeca Valdivia and Peter Mangione
WestEd's Reading Apprenticeship Adopted in Germany
Declaration Presented to Ministers for Education and Culture
Ruth Schoenbach and Cynthia Greenleaf, Co-Directors of WestEd's Strategic Literacy Initiative, recently returned from several Reading Apprenticeship events in Germany. They led several workshops for German and Austrian literacy leaders in Hamburg and Weisbaden, including one at the U.S. Consulate. Dorothee Gaile, the literacy expert who introduced European educators to Reading Apprenticeship, was awarded a Körber Foundation USAble prize for introducing a socially progressive good idea from the United States to Germany. During Schoenbach and Greenleaf's visit, a declaration was adopted and presented to the German government to establish a systemic national initiative to promote academic literacy achievement for all students.
WestEd at the American Evaluation Association Conference
Researchers Present Findings at Numerous Sessions
More than 20 WestEd researchers presented evaluation study findings at the annual American Evaluation Association (AEA) Conference in Portland, Oregon. Topics included evaluation ethics, education through the arts, comprehensive school reform, early childhood education, high school reform, district leadership programs, and evaluation research design and methodology. Jordan Horowitz's session, "Evaluating a Secondary School Reform Initiative: How an Evaluation Can Shape Successful Reform Efforts," was a highlight of the conference. The session detailed an evaluation study that led to the publication of Inside High School Reform: Making the Changes That Matter. Click here for a complete list of WestEd's AEA presentations.
WestEd's Program for Infant/Toddler Care Presents Research
WestEd's Program for Infant/Toddler Care (PITC) staff exhibited and presented papers at the annual meeting of the National Association for the Education of Young Children Conference (NAEYC) in Atlanta, Georgia. PITC Co-Directors Ron Lally and Peter Mangione also unveiled the new WestEd publication, Concepts for Care: 20 Essays on Infant/Toddler Development and Learning.
WestEd Research in the Spotlight
Several WestEd staff presented papers at the annual meeting of the California Educational Research Association (CERA) in Monterey, California. Topics included formative assessment and local accountability, communicating research to the media, reliability issues in measuring resiliency in WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey, creating linkage between content standards and assessments, and science assessments. Click here to see descriptions of WestEd's CERA presentations.
WestEd's Professional Development Services Take Center Stage
The breadth of WestEd's professional development services were on display at this year's National Staff Development Council (NSDC) meeting in Nashville, Tennessee. More than 20 staff from eight WestEd offices presented workshops on diverse topics, including providing English learners with access to academic language, improving science and math teaching, increasing literacy in adolescence, mentoring and induction programs for new teachers and principals, inquiry-based organizational development for school districts, and creating local accountability and assessment systems to boost student achievement. Aida Walqui's Distinguished Lecture, "Quality Teaching With Second Language Learners," was a highlight of the conference. Click here for a complete list of WestEd's NSDC presentations.
Susan Mundry Receives Susan Loucks-Horsley Award
Distinguished Contribution to the Field of Professional Development
Susan Mundry, Associate Director of WestEd's Mathematics, Science, & Technology Program, received the Susan Loucks-Horsley Award at the National Staff Development Council (NSDC) annual meeting in Nashville, Tennessee. NSDC recognized Mundry's distinguished contributions to the field by building bridges between organizations; mentoring others in research and writing; instilling in others a sense of possibility; and grounding her work in practice. NSDC also cited Mundry’s international leadership in improving the understanding of change processes and her promotion of high-quality, research-based professional learning in mathematics and science.
WestEd's Dual Focus on Research and Policy
Early Childhood Expertise Influences National Audience
Staff from WestEd's early childhood programs exhibited and presented papers at ZERO TO THREE's annual meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico:
- "Caring for Infants and Toddlers in Groups: What's New and Why," Ron Lally
- "Vermont's Shared Agenda: From Relationships to Competencies for Early Childhood and Family Mental Health," Karen Mikkelsen
- "Infant/Toddler Child Care: A Look Across Systems and Settings," Ron Lally
Susan Loucks-Horsley Award
Susan Mundry, Associate Director of WestEd's Mathematics, Science, & Technology program, received the Susan Loucks-Horsley Award at the National Staff Development Council (NSDC) annual meeting in Nashville, Tennessee. NSDC recognized Mundry's distinguished contributions to the field by building bridges between organizations; mentoring others in research and writing; instilling in others a sense of possibility; and grounding her work in practice. NSDC also cited Mundry’s international leadership in improving the understanding of change processes and her promotion of high-quality, research-based professional learning in mathematics and science.
Catherine Walcott Appointed to Collaborative Advisory Position
Friends of the National High School Center Working Group
Catherine Walcott, Director of Strategic Initiatives at WestEd, has been appointed to the Friends of the National High School Center Working Group, as reported by Education Daily. The Working Group provides guidance and direction to the National High School Center, one of five federally funded content Comprehensive Centers that help states meet the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act by disseminating scientifically based research on school improvement.
WestEd Research Highlights Nonacademic Factors Impacting Academic Achievement
Safe Schools: Academic Success Depends on It
The Challenge, a publication of the U.S. Department of Education Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, cites WestEd research showing the nonacademic factors that influence student achievement. WestEd researchers who administer the California Healthy Kids Survey for the California Department of Education have identified three primary safety factors affecting academic performance: caring relationships, high expectations, and opportunities to participate and contribute.
Marie Mancuso on National Trends for Ninth Grade Education
Making Sure First Year Isn’t the Last
Marie Mancuso, Associate Director of the Southwest Comprehensive Center at WestEd, was quoted in a Kansas City Star article about the difficulties ninth graders face as they transition from middle to high school. Mancuso noted that, while high schools used to focus solely on providing content, now educators provide more personalization and individual intervention to ensure each student succeeds academically.
California Healthy Kids Survey Exposes Student Risks
Temecula School Tackles Bullying Problem
Results from WestEd’s California Healthy Kids Survey, directed by Greg Austin, were used in the Temecula Valley Unified School District to justify a program to decrease student bullying. The data highlight the challenges schools and districts face in reducing youth risks and increasing youth resiliency. The most current survey data are available at www.WestEd.org/chks.
WestEd's Local Accountability Professional Development Services Reaps Results
Sharing Ideas for Raising Scores
Joe Sassone, Senior Program Associate for WestEd's Local Accountability Professional Development Services (LAPDS), was interviewed regarding plans to improve student achievement in several low-performing schools in Nashua, New Hampshire. Sassone, a former assistant superintendent who instituted LAPDS in his Arizona school district, improved student performance by maximizing assessment data with LAPDS assistance.
Linda Darling-Hammond Addresses WestEd Board of Directors
The Right to Learn: Ensuring High-Quality Teaching for All Students
Linda Darling-Hammond, leading scholar on teacher quality, was invited to speak to WestEd's Board of Directors on improving teacher education. According to Darling-Hammond's research, the best way to close the academic achievement gap is to institute a national teaching quality system that includes the following components:
- Standards for preparation, licensing, and advanced certification
- Competitive and equalized compensation
- Recruitment incentives across fields and districts
- Universal high-quality preparation
- Universal high-quality induction
- High-quality professional learning opportunities
- Conditions for teaching that include curriculum, assessment, materials, time with students, time with other teachers, and input into decisions
WestEd Policy Brief in the News
Full-Day Kindergarten: Debate, Little Kids
According to the Reno Gazette-Journal, Nevada state leaders are debating whether to institute full-day kindergarten across the state. A WestEd Policy Brief, Full-Day Kindergarten: Expanding Learning Opportunities, is among the research reports being used to help frame the issues of the debate.
Graduation Rates in New York City's New Small High Schools
Small Schools to Be Added by September
On the heels of a new WestEd study evaluating 14 of New York City's small high schools, the city's education department announced the opening of 20 new small high schools in September. Tracy Huebner, Senior Research Associate at WestEd, was lead author of the study, Rethinking High School: Inaugural Graduations at New York City’s New High Schools. The study was prepared for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which helped fund the schools.
WebDialogue Connects Virginia Students and Government Officials
Listening to Democracy's Next Generation
High school students at two Fairfax County, Virginia, schools, West Potomac and Mt. Vernon High School, participated in a WebDialogue with state officials. The topics of discussion were related to the Virginia state budget: transportation, human services, and education. "Our youth are less engaged in what government does, or should be doing, and I want to change that. On the flip side, elected officials need to be better connected to what our youth are thinking about how government works, and how they can encourage them to get more involved," said Kristen J. Amundson, delegate from Virginia's 44th district and the leading government official behind the WebDialogue. "Because young people today learn so much using digital technologies and the Internet, I decided that WestEd's WebDialogue would be the ideal way to engage the next generation of voters in these discussions." Laurie Maak is WestEd's WebDialogue manager.
WestEd Hosts Comprehensive Center Directors Meeting
Capacity Building, Collaboration and Beyond
The Comprehensive Center (CC) Directors Meeting, titled, "Capacity Building, Collaboration and Beyond," was held in WestEd's San Francisco headquarters. The meeting included the directors of the nation's 21 federally funded regional and content centers, as well as representatives from the U.S. Department of Education. WestEd CEO Glen Harvey welcomed the participants after which they addressed several joint goals: develop a working definition of capacity building; explore the evolving relationships between the Content and Regional Centers; understand the scope of work of the Regional Education Laboratories (RELs); explore ways to collaborate with the RELs; and, identify ways the CC Network can build internal capacity. Several WestEd staff participated, including
Whole Child International Taps Child Development Expert Peter Mangione
Adopting a Crusade
Karen Gordon, founder of the nonprofit Whole Child International (WCI), has tapped WestEd's early childhood expertise to create programs that improve the lives of orphans in developing countries. Peter Mangione, Co-Director of WestEd's Center for Child and Family Studies, helped design WCI's training programs for orphanage staff in Central America. WCI is conducting its first full-scale model intervention in Managua, Nicaragua at El Divino Niño children’s home, the city's sole children's home for orphaned, abused, and abandoned children under age six.
Resilience Approach Help Kids More Than Deficit Approach
Workshop Helps Children Deal With Times of Stress
WestEd’s Bonnie Benard, author of Resiliency: What We Have Learned, was quoted in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Tribune-Review regarding her expertise in the theory of resilience. Benard noted that resilient people share traits including empathy, problem-solving skills, a sense of self-awareness, and a sense of purpose and future. More and more, educators and mental health professionals are embracing the resilience approach to helping kids, which involves identifying children's strengths and weaknesses, and then connecting them with people and programs that nurture the strengths.
WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey Data Helps Schools Track Drug Use
Police Say Drug Bust Unlikely to Dent Market
Pleasanton, California police arrested several members of a drug ring selling the illegal substance ecstasy to high school students. The local school district uses results from WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey to monitor alcohol and other drug use on their campuses. The survey also provides data such as student gang involvement, school climate, and bullying.
WestEd Evaluates New Visions Inaugural Graduation Rates
N.Y.C.'s Small High Schools Show Positive Effects
WestEd recently completed an evaluation of 14 New Visions high schools, part of New York City's initiative to replace low-performing secondary schools with smaller high schools. The study, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, found that attendance is high, ninth-grade promotion rates are high, and a majority of students are graduating. A significant number of those graduates are applying to and being accepted by postsecondary institutions, over half of whom will be the first in their family to attend college.
California Health Kids Survey Results Report
Marin County Community Meeting
Sean Slade, Research Associate for WestEd's Health and Human Development Program, presented the latest California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) results for the Marin County, California community. The CHKS survey includes data regarding youth alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use, as well as nutrition, health, resilience, and school connectedness. A video of Slade's presentation can be accessed at the Marin County Office of Education website (click here).
Examining Comprehensive School Reform
The Influence of States and Districts on Comprehensive School Reform
Naida Tushnet, Director of WestEd's Evaluation Research Program, co-authored with Donna Harris "The Influence of States and Districts on Comprehensive School Reform," a chapter in the newly published book, Examining Comprehensive School Reform. Tushnet based her chapter on the lessons learned from numerous WestEd evaluations of school reform efforts across the country.
California Inland Empire District Uses WestEd Survey Results for Anti-Smoking Program
Hemet Receives Piece of Funds
Three Inland Valley districts received Tobacco-Use Prevention Education grants to conduct anti-smoking programs. District leaders relied on survey data from WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey to demonstrate the need for the programs.
WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey Provides Research Base for Youth Programs
Temecula Urged to Adopt Youth Master Plan
Temecula city officials used data from WestEd’s California Healthy Kids Survey to develop a master plan for youth activities and programs. As a way to curb gang and drug activity, the plan makes recommendations on community initiatives such as youth sports, arts, music, theater, entertainment activities, and leadership and parenting programs.
WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey Reports on Binge Drinking
Heavy Drinking By Students May Be Declining
WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey revealed an overall decline in heavy drinking in San Luis Obispo, California. However, survey details also revealed that more girls than boys are drinking, and that binge drinking is above the California state average. Officials at the County Office of Education, the County Drug and Alcohol Services, and local schools used the data to guide programs and services for youth.
California Healthy Kids Survey Provides Youth Risk Data for Communities
Lap of Luxury Breeds Higher Rates of Teen Substance Abuse
The Contra Costa Times reported that wealthier areas of Alameda and Contra Costa counties had a higher incidence of alcohol and other drug use among youth than poorer areas. Gregory Austin and Sean Slade from WestEd's Health and Human Development Program were cited in the article.
Rabinowitz Calls for More Research on English Learner Assessment
Partnership to Focus on Limited English Proficiency Accommodations
Stanley Rabinowitz, Director of WestEd's Assessment and Standards Development Program and the WestEd/CRESST Assessment and Accountability Comprehensive Center, was quoted in an article about testing accommodations for English learners.
WestEd English Learner Research at NABE 2007
Language Development Standards, Preschool English Learners
At the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) annual conference, WestEd researchers presented cutting-edge workshops for practitioners:
Create a Multi-Use Map of State ELD and ELA StandardsIn addition, WestEd's E3 Institute, directed by Yolanda Garcia, cohosted a reception with FIRST 5 Santa Clara County at MACLA/Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana. The reception was held for the NABE's Early Childhood Special Interest Group.
WestEd Presenter: John Carr
NABE Institute: Examining Evidence-Based Practice for the Early Care and Education of Young Bilingual Children
WestEd Presenters: Michelle Soltero and Rebeca Valdivia
Impacting Practice for Teachers of Preschool English Learners: Lessons From California
Presenters: Rebeca Valdivia, Sandy Baba, Yolanda Garcia, Irene Villanueva, and Ann-Marie WieseWestEd Board Members at ATE 2007
Jane McCarthy, WestEd Board member, presided over the Association of Teacher Educators annual conference. Other Board members also participated in the conference:
Opening Session Keynote Address
Presenter: David Berliner, Regents' Professor of Education at Arizona State University
The Santa Ana Partnership
Presenter: Juan Francisco Lara, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Enrollment Services at the University of California, Irvine
Listening to Students' and Teachers' Voices in Affective Education
Presenter: Jane McCarthy, Interim Dean of the College of Education, at the University of Nevada, Las VegasWestEd at NSTA
WestEd staff presented a number of workshops at the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) annual conference:
A Protocol for Lesson Study: The Teaching and Learning Collaborative
WestEd presenters: Kathy DiRanna, Diane Carnahan, Karen Cerwin, Jody Skidmore Sherriff, Rita Starnes, and Jo Topps
Targeted Interventions Matter
WestEd presenter: Karen Cerwin
Multiple Measures for Science Assessment
WestEd presenter: Rita Starnes
Assessment-Centered Teaching: A Reflective Practice
WestEd presenters: Kathy DiRanna and Jo Topps
Popping Your Way Into Experimental Design
WestEd presenter: Jody Skidmore Sherriff
Ask, Don't Tell
WestEd presenter: Diane Carnahan
Cultural Appropriateness, Language, and Teachers’ Roles and Perceptions in Science Assessment Development and Instructional Practices
WestEd presenter: Ursula Sexton
Providing Access and Opportunities for English Language Learners in the Science Classroom: Differentiated Instruction and Assessment Strategies So They Think, Act, and Talk Like Scientists
WestEd presenter: Ursula SextonWestEd at CABE
WestEd researchers presented three workshops at the California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE) annual conference:
Engaging Preschool English Learners in Culturally Relevant Oral Language and Emergent Literacy Activities
WestEd presenters: Irene Villanueva, Rebeca Valdivia, and Ann-Marie Wiese
From Internal Accountability to Systemic Professional Development: Tools & Strategies for Accelerating English Learner Achievement
WestEd presenters: Robert Linquanti and Pam Spycher
English Learners: Talking, Writing, and Thinking Like Scientists
WestEd presenters: Ursula Sexton and John CarrOnline Videos, PowerPoint Presentations Made Available
Resilience, School Connectedness, and Achievement
On June 23, 2006, Jack O'Connell, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Bonnie Benard, WestEd Senior Program Associate, and Greg Austin, Program Director of WestEd's Health & Human Development Program, videotaped a presentation on the relationship between academic success and youth development. WestEd published a related book in 2004, Resiliency: What We Have Learned. The presentation is now available for viewing at the California Department of Education website.
Staff from WestEd's Learning Innovations Contribute Collaboration Ideas
There Is No "I" In Team
Cybele Elaine Werts, Information Specialist at WestEd's Northeast Regional Resource Center, published an article in Information Outlook, the journal of the Special Libraries Association. The article, "There Is No 'I' in Team, Or How I Learned to Appreciate My Co-Workers Who Don't Live and Die By Their To-Do Lists," quotes several researchers from Learning Innovations at WestEd, including Karen Mikkelsen, Tom Hidalgo (now formerly of WestEd), Vicki Hornus, and Cheryl Williams.
Prevention Conference Promotes Peer Education
Youth 2 Youth: Don't Do Drugs
Educators in Castro Valley, California held a tobacco, alcohol, and other drug prevention conference that provided opportunities for middle school youth to educate each other about prevention tactics. The local school district devised the peer-education conference in response to data collected in WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey, which revealed that area students were participating in substance abuse.
Community Partnership Creates Youth Priorities
Study: San Jose Teens Need More Help
According to The Stockton Record, a group of teens and young adults, working with the Community Partnership for Families of San Joaquin, California, hopes to create a youth center where students could access job training, substance abuse counseling, gang intervention, mentoring, teen parenting support, and tutoring. Local results from WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey helped the group develop priorities for improving youth well-being in San Joaquin County.
Young People Desire Alternatives to Anti-Social Behaviors
County Youth Ask For Guidance
The San Mateo County Adolescent Report 2007 was presented to the county Board of Supervisors by the Youth Commission. The report measured the health of the county's youth by surveying students from 13 private and public high schools, juvenile detention schools, and continuation schools. The report was commissioned to supplement information provided by WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey, which is required to be administered at least once every two years at California schools that accept federal funds for certain drug and tobacco prevention programs.
WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey Inspires Councilwoman to Act
Cafe to Host Teens at Night in War on Drugs, Boredom
WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey revealed that Marin County adolescents have a high rate of alcohol and substance abuse compared with their California peers. In response, Fairfax Councilwoman Mary Ann Maggiore polled local teens and discovered that a safe, structured place to hang out would decrease the opportunities to engage in these unhealthy behaviors. The Marin Independent Journal reports that Maggiore has persuaded a local coffee shop to stay open on weekend nights from 8 to 11 p.m. only for teens and chaperones. Admission costs $5 and includes dessert and a cup of coffee or tea.
High School Students Welcome, Challenge School District Officials
Leadership Academy Welcomes Newly Elected Board Members
The Gilroy Dispatch reports that students at El Portal Leadership Academy plan to address newly elected Gilroy Unified School District board members, focusing on the lack of programs for youth who are abusing drugs and alcohol. The high school students will use data from WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey, which showed that local teens are drinking at higher rates than the state average, and that Gilroy ranks in the top percentile for binge drinking.
Petaluma Coalition to Prevent Underage and High-Risk Drinking
New Law Needed to Curb Drinking Problem
In Petaluma, California, a new social host ordinance, which became law, levies fines or jail time for adults who condone or allow underage drinking in their homes. The Petaluma Argus Courier recently reported that several community groups, led by the Petaluma Coalition to Prevent Underage and High-Risk Drinking, are collaborating to create another ordinance to deter alcohol abuse. The proposed ordinance would require the employees of businesses selling alcohol to participate in a state-certified Responsible Beverage Service program. Businesses would be reviewed if an individual or member of the police department or other agency registered a complaint that it was in violation of a standard of operation. Community groups have employed data from WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey as evidence warranting the ordinances.
Prescription Drug Abuse Rises Says WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey
Teen Addictions: A KEYT Channel Three News Special Assignment
KEYT3 Television News in Santa Barbara, California aired a story on the rising popularity of prescription drug use among local teens. The reporter cited data from WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey, which indicated that getting high off prescription drugs ranks third behind smoking pot and drinking among adolescents in California.
Survey Reveals Positive, Negative Trends
Drug Trends Mixed in Tam District
The Marin Independent Journal reports that Tamalpais Union High School District officials said they were encouraged by trends in a school-by-school survey of student drug abuse, self-worth, and safety. However, high rates of drug use among ninth graders revealed by WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey continues to trouble the district.
WebDialogue: California Youth Democracy Alliance
Strategies for Student Success
Laurie Maak, WebDialogues Developer and Manager for WestEd Interactive, concluded a web dialogue for the California Youth Democracy Alliance. Nearly 100 California students were invited to address this question: How can students develop and advocate for policies to close the GAPP (Gangs, Apathy, Poverty and Prejudice)? The California Youth Democracy Alliance (CYDA) promotes civic leadership in secondary and college students, in collaboration with educators, community leaders and policymakers, to empower youth leaders to advocate for the changes they want in their communities and in their state.
Resiliency Experts Discuss How Libraries and Librarians Strengthen Youth
Somewhere to Walk and Someone to Walk With
Bonnie Benard, Senior Program Associate in WestEd's Health & Human Development Program, was featured in an article in VOYA: Voices of Youth Advocates, the library magazine serving those who serve young adults. Benard, the author of Resiliency: What We Have Learned, states that libraries can function as a resiliency "protective factor" for young people by being safe and inviting places and by cataloguing books that interest them. The article can be downloaded by clicking here (PDF).
English Learner Resources
Mi Maestra, My Teacher
School & Community: The Magazine for Missouri Educators, a publication of the Missouri Teachers Association, featured WestEd's publication, Making Science Accessible to English Learners: A Guidebook for Teachers, as a resource for teaching English learners.
Spotlighting the Need for Turn-Around Strategies
How to Support School Transformation
The PEN Weekly NewsBlast featured an article from the current edition of WestEd's R&D Alert on turning around low-performing schools. In the article, Stanley Chow, former Director of Regional Services at WestEd, explains the need to identify more practical strategies that enable schools to change from low- to high-performing.
Changing Nature of Education Research at Labs, Comprehensive Centers
Research Moves Toward Practice, Practicality
Nikola Filby, Associate Director of REL West, the Regional Educational Laboratory at WestEd, was quoted on the research and technical assistance roles played by the regional labs and comprehensive centers, funded by the U.S. Department of Education. The article noted that the labs attend more to research studies, while the comprehensive centers focus on providing technical assistance to state departments of education.
New Study on Adolescent English Learners
Double the Work
Aida Walqui, Director of WestEd's Quality Teaching for English Learners (QTEL) project, was on the advisory panel of a report released by the Alliance for Excellent Education. Prepared for the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the study details the challenges and solutions to acquiring language, especially academic literacy, for adolescent English learners. The complete report can be downloaded by clicking here (PDF).
Preschool English Learners
Principles and Practices to Promote Language, Literacy, and Learning
Rebeca Valdivia, former Director of WestEd's Preschool English Learners and Family Partnership Initiative projects, was involved in researching and writing a newly published resource for the California Department of Education, Preschool English Learners: Principles and Practices to Promote Language, Literacy, and Learning. To download an order form for the new guide, click here (PDF).
WestEd's Paul Koehler Advises on Web Portal to Help Foundations Leverage Funds for Education Reform
Foundation Center Launches National Education Stimulus Initiative
The Foundation Center has launched Foundations for Education Excellence to engage philanthropic institutions and education leaders in a unified, strategic drive to improve public education. This new online resource center helps education funders align their grantmaking — and maximize their overall impact — with funds available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) by providing information and tools to assess areas of need, share best practices, and forge strategic alliances. The web portal, developed with a grant from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, was launched in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Education. Paul Koehler, director of WestEd's Policy Center, is on the initiative's advisory board.
Kansas City District Mulls Small, Specialized High Schools
Union Station High School?
A report prepared for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation by WestEd's Tracy Huebner and Grace Calisi, Rethinking High School: Inaugural Graduations at New York City’s New High Schools, was cited in a Kansas City Star article about the advantages of smaller high schools. According to the article, the Missouri city's school district is contemplating establishing a new, small high school in the Union Station office building to serve 150 students with a special interest in science.
WestEd and Reggio Emilia Approaches Used in Even Start
Expanding Operations: Education Program Gets Go-Ahead to Expand
Even Start, a Pierre, South Dakota early education program, will expand its operations and use the approach to care developed by WestEd's Program for Infant/Toddler Care (PITC), which is aligned with the Reggio Emilia philosophy. PITC, which celebrated its twentieth anniversary in 2006, emphasizes four areas: social-emotional growth and socialization; group care; learning and development; and culture, family, and providers.
WestEd's Robert Linquanti Notes Influence of High-Stakes Testing
NCLB Seen a Damper on Bilingual Programs
According to Education Week, accountability requirements for English learners under the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) may be the cause of a new nationwide trend: substituting bilingual programs for English immersion programs. In bilingual programs, students are taught some subjects in their native language at the same time they learn English, but according to some experts, NCLB's accountability system is not flexible enough to measure the academic progress of students in those programs. Robert Linquanti, director of English Learner Evaluation and Accountability Support (ELEAS) in WestEd’s Comprehensive School Assistance Program, also noted that if states don't offer high-stakes standardized tests in languages other than English, then educators will feel pressured to switch to English-only instruction.
The Infinite Thinking Machine
Google for Educators Features WestEd-Produced Blog
Google for Educators sponsors a blog, The Infinite Thinking Machine, produced by Chris Walsh, former Digital Learning Specialist for WestEd Interactive. The blog includes educational video content featuring interviews, tips, and classroom footage of teachers integrating technology and curriculum. Walsh recently conducted two Google Teacher Academies, one in New York and the other in the Bay Area, which provided professional development on using technology to enhance teaching and learning.
Kurt Larsen Emphasizes Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy
A Teacher's Toolkit: What Should Every Teacher Have?
The Summer, 2007 issue of OnCUE Journal, the quarterly publication of the Computer-Using Educators professional association, featured an article by Kurt Larsen, Senior Research Associate for WestEd Interactive. Larsen wrote about the need for teachers to model lifelong learning for their students, and recommended practical resources to attain that goal.
Computer-Using Educators Professional Association
Kurt Larsen Elected to CUE Board of Directors
Kurt Larsen, Senior Research Associate for WestEd Interactive, was elected to the Board of Directors of Computer-Using Educators (CUE), a national association of education technology professionals. Larsen is a noted leader in the education technology field, and has been involved in many WestEd projects including directing the Regional Technology in Education Consortium (RTEC) serving Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah.
WestEd at the National Charter Schools Conference
Innovation Guide: Charter High Schools Closing The Achievement Gap
Several WestEd researchers participated in the National Charter Schools Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico. WestEd collaborated on a workshop series supporting charter school excellence, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Innovation and Improvement (OII). At one of the workshops, a new guide was unveiled, Charter High Schools Closing The Achievement Gap, researched and produced by WestEd's Innovation Studies Program for the OII.
WestEd at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) 2007 Annual Meeting
WestEd researchers participated in 27 presentations at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) 2007 Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois. Staff presented a range of research studies including randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental design studies, evaluations, and policy papers. Topics included large-scale assessment, adolescent literacy, English learners, non-Western indigenous education, comprehensive school reform implementation, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education, mentoring and new teacher induction programs, assessment and accountability, and research design and methodology. Visit www.WestEd.org/aera for a complete list of presentations.
New Director of Evaluation and Policy Research
Martin Orland Joins WestEd
WestEd announced the appointment of Martin Orland, Ph.D., as its new Director of Evaluation and Policy Research. Orland will direct multiple state, regional, and national research and evaluation studies. Orland brings nearly 20 years of research oversight, policy work, and collaborative leadership from his tenure at the U.S. Department of Education. More recently, he was Senior Program Director for the Division of Behavioral and Social Science and Education, and Director of the Center for Education, at the National Research Council, part of the National Academies.
WestEd's English Learner Experts Participate in Professional Development
Rod Ellis Presents Second Language Acquisition Workshop
Rod Ellis, known as the "Father of Second Language Acquisition," presented a two-day professional development workshop for more than 30 WestEd staff from 10 offices. Ellis hails from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, where he is Chair of the Graduate School of Education; Professor, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages; and Director of the Institute of Language Teaching and Learning. The workshop was organized by Walter Blount, Director of WestEd's Human Resources Department, and Aida Walqui, Director of WestEd's Quality Teaching for English Learners project.
Research at WestEd
Experimental Design Brown Bag
Andrea Lash, Senior Research Methodologist at WestEd, led a brown bag professional development workshop for WestEd research staff. Nearly 30 staff participated from five offices using videoconferencing technology. The discussion focused on the thoughtful design and execution of randomized controlled trials, which investigate whether particular interventions have an intended effect. Prior to the brown bag, participants read articles in the March 2007 issue of Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. Education studies are often complicated and expensive because the unit of analysis is the classroom or school, rather than individuals. Staff researchers discussed the challenges in designing studies that have meaning from a policy standpoint but that are also economically and practically feasible.
WestEd Evaluates Opening Minds Through the Arts
He's Made a Difference for Kids
WestEd's evaluation study of Opening Minds Through the Arts was referenced in an article profiling Eugene Jones, who, at the age of 84, founded the arts education program in the Tucson Unified School District. The program uses music, dance, and other creative forms to stimulate academic learning for 17,000 students in 41 elementary and middle schools. WestEd's study, directed by Naida Tushnet and Sandy Sobolew-Shubin, found improved Stanford 9 test scores in reading, language, and mathematics for students attending Opening Minds Through the Arts schools. The successful program is now being studied by researchers at Harvard University as well as school districts in other states from Oklahoma to New York.
Paul Koehler Comments on English Learners
Little Change in AIMS Scores
An article in The Arizona Republic notes that scores on the statewide Arizona Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS) have stagnated in middle and early high school, and scores for many English learners have fallen. Paul Koehler, Director of WestEd's Southwest Comprehensive Center, noted that as educators teach and test, and then reteach as needed, progress on AIMS scores will be made school by school. Because AIMS is conducted in English, Koehler supports Arizona's new uniform, four-hour program of English grammar, phonetics, reading, and writing.
Santa Cruz Looks to Open Bilingual School
The Santa Cruz Sentinel reports that Santa Cruz City Schools may become one of the few districts in California to open a K-8 dual-language school. The article cited a research study conducted by Robert Linquanti, Project Director for English Learner Evaluation and Accountability Support in WestEd’s Comprehensive School Assistance Program, and the American Institutes of Research. The study, Effects of the Implementation of Proposition 227 on the Education of English Learners, K-12: Findings from a Five-Year Evaluation, Final Report, concluded that the quality of instruction matters more than the language of instruction for improving student achievement.
WestEd Releases Study on Oregon Academic Standards
Schools Advised to Narrow Focus to Crucial Lessons
The Oregonian covered the release of an academic standards study conducted by Stanley Rabinowitz, Director of WestEd's Assessment & Standards Development Services. The state's Department of Education hired WestEd to evaluate Oregon's academic standards for every subject and grade as well as assessment items on the state's standardized tests. According to the article, the report recommends a statewide focus on teaching kids crucial lessons rather than a laundry list of facts and skills.
Assessment and Accountability Comprehensive Center at WestEd
Experts: Define "2 Percent" Before Designing Tests
Stanley Rabinowitz, Director of the Assessment and Accountability Comprehensive Center at WestEd, spoke at a U.S. Education Department technical assistance meeting. The meeting addressed No Child Left Behind Act guidelines for counting test results of students with disabilities and special needs when measuring proficiency and adequate yearly progress.
Stanley Rabinowitz
NCLB Reauthorization: "Multiple Measures" Remain in Question
Stanley Rabinowitz, Director of WestEd's Assessment & Standards Development Services, was quoted at length in an article regarding possible multiple measurements of adequate yearly progress in the future reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act.
Yolanda Garcia Elected to Governing Board
National Association for the Education of Young Children
Yolanda Garcia, Director of WestEd's E3 Institute, was elected to the Governing Board of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Founded in 1926, NAEYC is the world's largest organization working on behalf of young children with nearly 100,000 members, a national network of over 300 local, state, and regional affiliates, and a global alliance of like-minded organizations.
Anthony Petrosino on Criminal Justice Evaluation Research
Tipton County Teens Get Message from Behind Bars
Anthony Petrosino, WestEd Senior Research Associate specializing in criminal justice evaluation research, was quoted in an article overviewing an anger management program administered by a Tennessee juvenile court. Petrosino noted that several evaluations found that adolescents who attended "scared straight" programs were re-arrested more often than other troubled youth.
Bonnie Benard Publishes Chapter in Public Health Text
The Hope of Prevention: Individual, Family, and Community Resilience
Bonnie Benard, author of Resiliency: What We Have Learned, published a chapter in a new public health textbook, Prevention is Primary: Strategies for Community Well Being. Benard's chapter, "The Hope of Prevention: Individual, Family, and Community Resilience," provides a detailed comparative analysis of the benefits of resilience approaches over risk-based, deficit approaches to public health. The book was co-published by the American Public Health Association and the Prevention Institute.
Nanette Koelsch Authors Report for National High School Center
Improving Literacy Outcomes for English Language Learners in High School
In a research brief published by the National High School Center, Nanette Koelsch, Senior Research Associate in WestEd's Teacher Professional Development Program, finds that states and districts must change their approach for working with English learners from one of remediation to academic acceleration and enrichment. Koelsch offers key policies and useful strategies for building capacity and creating learning environments conducive for the academic success of all students. The paper, available as a free download (PDF), outlines barriers regarding teacher expectations, tracking, and placement of English learners.
Cynthia Greenleaf Coauthors Carnegie-Funded Study
Literacy Instruction in the Content Areas
Cyndy Greenleaf, Co-Director of WestEd's Strategic Literacy Initiative, coauthored a study on adolescent literacy funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and published by the Alliance for Excellent Education. The report, Literacy Instruction in the Content Areas: Getting to the Core of Middle and High School Improvement (PDF), shows why students must be taught the advanced literacy skills that will enable them to succeed in the academic content areas — particularly the core content areas of math, science, English, and history.
Two WebDialogues Address Higher Education, Obesity
Legislators Seeking Input Try Computers
The Washington state legislature used WebDialogues, a WestEd Interactive product directed by Laurie Maak, to facilitate two public, statewide discussions. The Dialogue on Obesity addressed the question, What can the state do to reduce the incidence of obesity in Washington? The Dialogue on Access addressed the question, What can communities, colleges, and universities and the state do to educate more students to higher levels? Over 400 people participated.
Telly Award 2007 Bronze Winner
The video, A World Full of Language, produced by the California Department of Education and WestEd's Program for Infant/Toddler Care (PITC), was a 2007 Bronze Winner in the 28th Annual Telly Awards international competition. The award honors the very best local, regional, and cable television commercials and programs, as well as the finest video and film productions. The competition received over 14,000 entries from all 50 states and 5 continents. The video is available for purchase from the California Department of Education — for information, click here.
Cynthia Greenleaf Coauthors Adolescent Literacy Report
Literacy Instruction in the Content Areas: Getting to the Core of Middle and High School Improvement
Cynthia Greenleaf, Co-Director of WestEd's Strategic Literacy Initiative coauthored a report on improving adolescent literacy in the core subject areas. The report, Literacy Instruction in the Content Areas: Getting to the Core of Middle and High School Improvement, was produced by the Alliance for Excellent Education with financial support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. For a free PDF download, click here.
Paul Koehler Quoted on Arizona's NAEP Scores
Arizona Kids Gain in Math, Stagnate in Reading, Tests Show
Paul Koehler, Director of WestEd's Policy Center, was quoted in an article on Arizona's results on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the "Nation's Report Card." The article noted that Arizona lags behind national averages and was one of 17 states that showed no significant improvement over 2005 NAEP scores.
California Department of Education and WestEd Recognized for Video Production Excellence
Telly Award 2007 Bronze Winner
The video, A World Full of Language, produced by the California Department of Education and WestEd's Program for Infant/Toddler Care (PITC), was a 2007 Bronze Winner in the 28th Annual Telly Awards international competition. The award honors the very best local, regional, and cable television commercials and programs, as well as the finest video and film productions. The competition received over 14,000 entries from all 50 states and 5 continents. The video is available for purchase from the California Department of Education — for information, click here.
WestEd Report Profiles Successful Reform Programs
Bridgeton High School Turns It Around
In a new WestEd report, Rethinking High School: Preparing Students for Success in College, Career, and Life, Bridgeton High School (New Jersey) was profiled for implementing a reform program that proved to be successful in increasing academic achievement. The report was prepared with funding by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
WestEd's Peter Mangione Interviewed on Preschool Standards
From ABCs to PH.D.s: Preschoolers Face Academic Pressures
Peter Mangione, Co-Director of WestEd's Center for Child and Family Studies, was quoted in an article about California's new preschool curricular standards and assessments. Mangione emphasized the need to respond to each child's developmental needs when organizing a toddler's day, with appropriate time for addressing both school readiness and play time.
Black, Latino Students Still Lag Behind White Counterparts in California
Fourth-, Eighth-Graders Make Gains Nationwide
Fred Tempes, Director of the California Comprehensive Center at WestEd, was quoted in an article about California's results on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), often called the "Nation's Report Card." Tempes discussed ways to close the persistent achievement gap in test scores between Black and Latino students and their White counterparts.
WestEd's Ron Lally Speaks in Australia
Child-Care Laws Horrific: U.S. Expert
Ron Lally, Co-Director of WestEd's Center for Child and Family Studies, addressed a gathering of Australian policymakers regarding current research on infant/toddler care. An article in The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Lally at length on the research basis for reducing the ratio of childcare providers to infants in group care settings.
WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey Provides Data
San Marcos District Students Report Less Gang Activity, Tobacco Use
The Board of the San Marcos Unified District reviewed results from the latest California Healthy Kids Survey, administered by WestEd's Health & Human Development Program. According to the North County Times, the latest data show that the district's students feel safer and are less involved in gangs and tobacco use than two years ago, while high school binge drinking has increased from two years ago.
WestEd Evaluates Opening Minds through the Arts
91-Year-Old Uses Arts Program to Transform Struggling Students
WestEd's independent evaluation of Opening Minds through the Arts, a Tucson, Arizona-based arts education program, was featured in The Arizona Republic, celebrating the program's founder, H. Gene Jones. The evaluation showed the program's effectiveness in raising academic achievement for the Tucson Unified School District. The program has earned national recognition, and is one of 12 programs nationwide chosen for inclusion in Harvard University's Project Zero exemplary arts education programs.
WestEd's Paul Koehler Receives Prestigious Recognition
Sixth Annual President's Award, Excellence in Education
The Arizona Educational Foundation awarded the 6th Annual President's Award for Excellence in Education to Paul Koehler, Director of WestEd's Policy Center and of the Southwest Comprehensive Center at WestEd. Koehler was chosen for his significant contributions to education in Arizona. The Arizona Educational Foundation administers statewide programs that enhance the capabilities of Arizona’s schools to strengthen the teaching profession, design high-quality curricula, stimulate high student achievement, and celebrate the successes in K-12 public education in Arizona.
WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey Provides Reliable Data
San Marcos District Students Report Less Gang Activity, Tobacco Use
According to the North County Times, the latest data from WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey show that San Marcos School District students feel safer on campus than they did two years ago. In addition, data show that students are less involved in gangs and tobacco use than previously.
WestEd's Chris Walsh Interviewed Regarding Mobile Technology Use
Schools Mute Cell Phones; Teachers Nationwide Hear One Ringy-Dingy Too Many
Chris Walsh, a former digital learning specialist with WestEd Interactive, was interviewed for an article about cell phone technology in classrooms. The article described the cell phone bans in many schools, contrasted with schools that have started using cell phones for education purposes.
Elementary Science Education Report Released
The Status of Science Education in Bay Area Elementary Schools
During spring 2007, staff at the Center for Research, Evaluation, and Assessment at the Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California, Berkeley and at WestEd's Mathematics, Science, & Technology Program conducted a study of the status of science education in Bay Area elementary schools. The study was conducted under the direction of WestEd Board of Directors member Rena Dorph in collaboration with WestEd's Steve Schneider. The highlights of the study findings are available at www.lawrencehallofscience.org/rea/bayareastudy.
Beacon Award and Distinguished Achievement Award
The Association of Educational Publishers (AEP) honored WestEd with two awards in the organization's 2007 annual competition, the Distinguished Achievement Award for the agency newsletter, R&D Alert®, and the Beacon Award for WestEd.org, recognizing it as the nation's best education marketing website.
Association of Educational Publishers Announces 2007 Winners
Beacon Award and Distinguished Achievement Award
The Association of Educational Publishers (AEP) honored WestEd with two awards in the organization's 2007 annual competition, the Distinguished Achievement Award for the agency newsletter, R&D Alert®, and the Beacon Award for WestEd.org, recognizing it as the nation's best education marketing website.
WestEd's Paul Koehler Receives Prestigious Recognition
Sixth Annual President's Award, Excellence in Education
The Arizona Educational Foundation awarded the 6th Annual President's Award for Excellence in Education to Paul Koehler, Director of WestEd's Policy Center and of the Southwest Comprehensive Center at WestEd. Koehler was chosen for his significant contributions to education in Arizona. The Arizona Educational Foundation administers statewide programs that enhance the capabilities of Arizona’s schools to strengthen the teaching profession, design high-quality curricula, stimulate high student achievement, and celebrate the successes in K-12 public education in Arizona.
California Department of Education & WestEd Win Telly Award
A World Full of Language: Supporting Preschool English Learners, a DVD produced by WestEd's Center for Child and Family Studies for the California Department of Education (CDE), was a 2007 Bronze Winner in the 28th Annual Telly Awards international competition. The award honors the finest video and film productions as well as the very best local, regional, and cable television commercials and programs. The competition received over 14,000 entries from all 50 states and five continents.
"We are delighted by this recognition," said Glen Harvey, WestEd CEO. "We're hopeful that the evidence-based information and learning strategies in A World Full of Language will be used widely by preschool teachers, college instructors, and families in their important work of helping preschoolers learn English as a second language."
The DVD and accompanying booklet in English and Spanish explain how young children acquire English as a second language, and features research-based strategies for teachers to support English learners. The DVD is closed-captioned and formatted so that viewers can see it in its entirety or in sections. It is the companion for a CDE guidebook written by WestEd, Preschool English Learners: Principles and Practices to Promote Language, Literacy, and Learning. The book provides teachers with the knowledge and tools to educate preschool English learners most effectively.
Both are available for purchase from the California Department of Education. For ordering information, visit WestEd.org/PreschoolEnglishLearners.Tenth Year for WestEd Involvement in Breast Cancer Walk
Making Strides Against Breast Cancer
This year more than 280 WestEd staff, board members, consultants, family members, and clients joined several Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walks held across the country. These fundraisers support cancer research and early detection programs that save lives.
Rethinking High School
Preparing Students for Success in College, Career, and Life
WestEd's Rethinking High School: Preparing Students for Success in College, Career, and Life was featured in the American School Board Journal. The report, prepared for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, profiles the success of five programs serving predominantly low-income minority students. It is the fourth report in the Rethinking High School series, published by WestEd's Innovation Studies program.
WestEd Policy Trends Paper on Teacher Compensation
Reforming Teacher Pay: The Search for a Workable Goal-Driven Compensation System
A WestEd Policy Trends paper, Reforming Teacher Pay: The Search for a Workable Goal-Driven Compensation System, was featured in the American School Board Journal. The report explains why schools are using differentiated pay for teachers, and why rewarding educators for improving student achievement remains challenging. WestEd Policy Associate Reino Makkonen headed up the research for the report.
Disability Advocate Award
Virginia Reynolds, Program Director for WestEd's Center for Prevention and Early Intervention, was awarded the 2007 Disability Advocate Award from Easter Seals Superior California. This award is presented annually to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding advocacy efforts on behalf of citizens with disabilities, including infants, children, adults, and their family members.
Virginia Reynolds Receives Disability Advocate Award
A Celebration of Vision, Camaraderie, and Success
Virginia Reynolds, Program Director for WestEd's Center for Prevention and Early Intervention was awarded the 2007 Disability Advocate Award from Easter Seals Superior California. This award is presented annually to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding advocacy efforts on behalf of citizens with disabilities, including infants, children, adults, and their family members.
WestEd Policy Trends Paper on Teacher Compensation
Reforming Teacher Pay; the Search for a Workable Goal-Driven
Compensation System
A WestEd Policy Trends paper, Reforming Teacher Pay: The Search for a Workable Goal-Driven Compensation System was featured in the American School Board Journal. The report explains why schools are using differentiated pay for teachers, and why rewarding educators for improving student achievement remains challenging.
Books Worth Reading
WestEd's Moving Leadership Standards into Everyday Work
The classic Moving Leadership Standards Into Everyday Work: Descriptions of Practice was listed as a must-read book in the November/December issue of Leadership, the magazine of the Association of California School Administrators. Authored by WestEd's Karen Kearney, Moving Leadership Standards was one of two key books to help leaders become the best they can be.
Closing the Achievement Gap in California
Achieving Success for All Students WebDialogue
An "Achieving Success for All Students" WebDialogue, cohosted by WestEd and the California Department of Education and funded by the James Irvine Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, generated 878 messages from nearly 800 teachers, students, parents, administrators, school board members, reporters, and the business community. The WebDialogue addressed four major topics: providing access to learning opportunities, building a climate and culture of achievement, setting and keeping high expectations, and promising strategies and practices. Summaries are available at http://www.webdialogues.net/ctag/studentsuccess.
Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership
Nancy Riddle and Aylin Bell, Featured Alumni
Nancy Riddle, WestEd's Chief Financial Officer, and Aylin Bell, Manager of Business Development, were two of six MBA graduates featured by the Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership at the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley. The center's mission is to prepare leaders with the practical business skills to found, lead, manage, and govern nonprofit and public organizations for the public good.
WestEd Policy Brief Reprinted in Democracy & Education Journal
Using School-Community Partnerships to Bolster Student Learning
A WestEd Policy Brief, Using School-Community Partnerships to Bolster Student Learning, was reprinted in the March 2007 issue of the quarterly journal, Democracy & Education. The special issue's theme was "Creating Community with Families," and addressed the need for schools to partner with their students' families as well as community groups to ensure success. The policy brief is also available as a free PDF download by clicking here.
WestEd Policy Perspectives Paper: What Research Says About Unequal Funding for Schools in America
Educators Demand Funding for State Mandate
A WestEd Policy Perspectives paper written by David Berliner, WestEd Board member, and Bruce Biddle was quoted in a Casa Grande Dispatch article about Arizona's new English learner model proposed by the state legislator's English Language Learner Task Force. The paper, What Research Says About Unequal Funding for Schools in America, is part of a series funded by the Rockefeller Foundation, and answers key questions about school funding such as: How large are funding inequities in America, why have they appeared, and how do Americans justify them?
WestEd Partners With Vista Unified School District
VUSD Outlines Changes to Math, Science
According to the North County Times, a federal research grant to the Vista Unified School District has been extended for another year. The grant, designed to improve mathematics and science instruction at several schools in grades 4–8, has already been used to provide professional development to 66 teachers. The grant extension will allow for more summer training. According to the article, WestEd is one of the grant partners, along with Escondido Union Elementary School District, California State University-San Marcos, and Palomar College.
Newest Rethinking High School Report Featured in Article
WestEd Cites Washington State School for Exemplary Reform
Education Daily featured the WestEd report, Rethinking High School: Preparing Students for Success in College, Career, and Life, in an article profiling Mabton Jr./Sr. High School in rural Washington. This WestEd report is the newest in the Rethinking High School report series, directed by Tracy Huebner, Senior Research Associate in WestEd's Innovation Studies program. Prepared for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the reports provide snapshots of success-prone secondary schools and systems in the course of reforming.
WestEd's Stanley Rabinowitz Interviewed on State English Language Proficiency Tests
States Clear Initial Hurdle on ELL Tests
Stanley Rabinowitz, Director of the national Assessment and Accountability Comprehensive Center at WestEd, was interviewed for an article regarding state English language proficiency tests mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act. Through the Comprehensive Center, Rabinowitz is conducting evaluations of several such proficiency tests. The article also discussed the report, English Language Proficiency Assessment in the Nation: Current Status and Future Practice, edited by Jamal Abedi, University of California, Davis, a portion of which was authored by Robert Linquanti, Director for English Learner Evaluation and Accountability Support in WestEd's Comprehensive School Assistance Program.
WestEd's Senta Raizen Interviewed on PISA Results
U.S. Students Fall Short in Math and Science
In an Education Week article, Senta Raizen, Director of WestEd's National Center for Improving Science Education, commented that U.S. students seem to lack a strong grasp of the nature of science, and of science's important role in society. Her remarks were in reaction to new results from the 2006 Program for International Student Assessment, in which U.S. students ranked lower in science than their peers in 16 other countries. Raizen recently directed a revision of the science version of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as the Nation's Report Card.
Reading Apprenticeship® Featured in Education Week
Extra Literacy Class Helps Struggling Readers — Some
Education Week featured WestEd's Reading Apprenticeship Academic Literacy Course as part of a federal study testing promising strategies for low-performing adolescent readers. WestEd's Cynthia Greenleaf, who devised the Reading Apprenticeship program with colleague Ruth Schoenbach, was quoted in the Education Week article, which stated that Reading Apprenticeship helped move students' reading performance over the course of the school year.
ZERO TO THREE's Pilar Fort an Ambassador for Early Care
Concepts for Care Presented to First Lady of Guatemala
Pilar Fort, Bilingual Training Specialist with ZERO TO THREE, recently met with Sandra Colom, the First Lady of Guatemala. Fort presented the First Lady with a copy of Concepts for Care: 20 Essays on Infant/Toddler Development and Learning, published by WestEd. The book encapsulates many of the principles of WestEd's Program for Infant/Toddler Care, directed by Ron Lally and Peter Mangione.
WestEd's Policy and Research Staff Participate in Professional Development
Mike Usdan Presents Workshop on Transition to College Issues
Mike Usdan, former Commissioner of Higher Education in Connecticut and former President of the Institute for Educational Leadership, led a brown bag professional development workshop for WestEd research and policy staff. Attendees discussed policy issues and research related to the transition from high school to college, as well as technical and career education issues.
Recycle Drive and Dr. Art Kick Off Event
WestEd Celebrates Earth Day
WestEd's San Francisco office staff celebrated Earth Day, kicked off by a lunch and a science show by "Dr. Art" Sussman on how our planet works and how to understand today's major environmental issues and challenges. Staff then participated in a discussion of what we can do in our personal and work lives to make our planet better for our and future generations.
Facilities staff overviewed agency efforts to be more "green" by using cleaning products and janitorial equipment that are safer for our environment, using recycled products in restrooms, kitchens, and coffee stations, and how building renovation plans will use products that will help us become LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) accredited. In addition, staff participated in a recycle drive for old electronic products, including old and no longer working computer and television monitors, cell phones, computer equipment, and music players.WestEd Policy Brief Cited in Article
Smaller schools, more schools
An article in the August, Georgia Metro Spirit cites a WestEd Policy Brief, Are Small Schools Better? School Size Considerations for Safety and Learning. This policy brief outlines key research findings and looks at what the research says about why school size appears to make a difference, how small is small enough, effective approaches to downsizing, and key barriers.
WestEd Policy Brief on Full-Day Kindergarten Cited
Walsh: Lawmakers napping on kindergarten
A WestEd Policy Brief, Full-Day Kindergarten: Expanding Learning Opportunities, was cited by Salt Lake Tribune columnist Chris Walsh. The Policy Brief brief summarizes the most recent research available on full-day kindergarten, provides information on state and local reform efforts, and identifies policy implications. It also touches on the characteristics of an effective kindergarten program.
WestEd's Center for the Study of Culture and Language in Education
2007 Pacific Educational Conference Proceedings
A presentation at the Pacific Educational Conference in July 2007 by Ursula Sexton and Sharon Nelson-Barber from WestEd's Center for the Study of Culture and Language in Education was recently published in the conference proceedings. The article, "Language and Culture in Science Teaching," presents ways to differentiate science instruction for English learners at different acquisition levels. The article also discusses culturally relevant practices, a domain often neglected in discussions of scaffolding, language acquisition, and high expectations for students. Sexton coauthored Making Science Accessible to English Learners.
WestEd's Center for Prevention and Early Intervention Receives Silver Award
The Primary Health Care Providers Role in Early Intervention
Kelley Versteegh and Elissa Provance from WestEd's Center for Prevention and Early Intervention received a Silver Award from the California State Information Officers Council (SiOC) in the "Brochure" category. "The Primary Health Care Providers' Role in Early Intervention," written for health care professionals, explains the components of California's early intervention system, and how health care professionals can help infants and toddlers, birth to 3 years, with developmental delays and disabilities. The brochure was developed for the California Department of Developmental Services.
John Carr Publishes Article in Language Magazine
How to Teach Science to ELLs
John Carr, Senior Research Associate and author of several WestEd resources for improving instruction for English learners, published an article in Language Magazine on making science accessible to English learners. Carr offers several instructional approaches for inclusive science teaching, and makes the case for schoolwide, team-based, and long-term approaches to meeting the instructional needs of English learners.
Kurt Larsen Publishes in OnCUE Journal
Student Interest Stimulates Learning — an Early Effort
Kurt Larsen, Senior Research Associate in WestEd Interactive, recently published an article for the Computer-Using Educators' OnCUE Journal. Larsen describes his experience starting HomeTech Charter School in 1993, a home-based school where students use a computer to attend classes. He profiles a student from the school's first cohort who has gone on to a successful career in film and television.
John Carr Publishes Article in Language Magazine
Navigating English Learner Standards
In a Language Magazine article, WestEd's John Carr outlines the utility of The Map of Standards for English Learners as a unifying resource for lesson planning. Carr, a Senior Research Associate and author of The Map and several other WestEd resources for improving instruction for English learners, explains how The Map helps teachers navigate multiple state standards and the language arts units in state-adopted textbooks, and also helps teachers assess their English learners.
U.S. News & World Report's On Education Blog Features Rethinking High School Report
How Three High Schools Improved in Math
Rethinking High School: Supporting All Students to be College Ready in Math, a new WestEd report prepared for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, was featured in U.S. News & World Report's On Education blog. The report, authored by Tracy Huebner and Grace Calisi from WestEd's Innovation Studies program, makes plain the efficacy of offering high-level math courses and supports, continually improving teachers' skills and math content knowledge, and using student information to drive instruction. According to this report, access to and enrollment in challenging courses has a greater impact than any other factor, including income level and parents' level of education.
Budget Crunch Expected to Increase Class Sizes in Primary Grades
A WestEd Policy Perspectives paper is cited in a San Diego Union-Tribune article regarding California's budget cuts expecting to increase class size in the primary grades. What Research Says About Small Classes and Their Effects, coauthored by WestEd Board of Directors member David C. Berliner, can be downloaded as a free PDF.
Robert Linquanti Cited on Potential Impact on State Accountability Systems
Consistent ELL Guides Proposed
In an Education Week article, Robert Linquanti, Director for English Learner Evaluation and Accountability Support (ELEAS) in WestEd's Comprehensive School Assistance Program, noted that a new proposal from the U.S. Department of Education would require states to reexamine their accountability systems for English learners. According to the article, the federal government wants all states to use a consistent set of criteria for reporting how well English learners are doing in English language acquisition.
WestEd Evaluation Study Cited
NAEP Scores in State that Cut Bilingual Ed Fuel Concern on ELLs
Education Week reported preliminary findings from new research studies indicating that banning bilingual education in order to improve English language acquisition does not improve achievement results for English learners. Effects of the Implementation of Proposition 227 on the Education of English Learners, K-12: Findings from a Five-Year Evaluation: Final Report, coauthored by Robert Linquanti, Director for English Learner Evaluation and Accountability Support (ELEAS) in WestEd's Comprehensive School Assistance Program, was cited in the article. A nontechnical summary of Linquanti's report, How Are English Learners Faring Under Proposition 227, is available as a free PDF download.
WestEd's Center for Prevention and Early Intervention Receives Silver Award
Kelley Versteegh and Elissa Provance from WestEd's Center for Prevention and Early Intervention received a Silver Award from the California State Information Officers Council in the "Brochure" category. "The Primary Health Care Providers' Role in Early Intervention," written for health care professionals, explains the components of California's early intervention system, and how health care professionals can help infants and toddlers, birth to 3 years, with developmental delays and disabilities. The brochure was developed for the California Department of Developmental Services.
WestEd's 2006 Annual Report Wins Beacon Award
Association of Educational Publishers Announces Award Finalists and Winners at National Conference
The Association of Educational Publishers (AEP) announced that WestEd's 2006 Annual Report received the prestigious Beacon Award for excellence in education marketing. AEP, the national, nonprofit association for supplemental educational publishers and service providers, created the Beacon Award to highlight the outstanding contributions of publishing companies' sales and marketing staffs, as well as the many agencies present in this field.
Several WestEd publications were finalists for other AEP awards, including the agency's electronic newsletter, the WestEd E-Bulletin; a teacher resource, Mentoring New Teacher Through Collaborative Coaching; and a recent issue of the agency's biannual print newsletter, R&D Alert®, Vol. 9, No. 1, focusing on Improving Mathematics and Science Education.WestEd's 2006 Annual Report Wins Beacon Award
The Association of Educational Publishers (AEP) announced that WestEd's 2006 Annual Report received the prestigious Beacon Award. AEP, the national, nonprofit association for supplemental educational publishers and service providers, created the Beacon Award to highlight the outstanding contributions of publishing companies' sales staff, as well as the many agencies present in this field.
Several WestEd publications were finalists for other AEP awards, including the agency's electronic newsletter, the WestEd E-Bulletin; a teacher resource, Mentoring New Teacher Through Collaborative Coaching; and a recent issue of the agency's biannual print newsletter, R&D Alert®, Vol. 9, No. 1, focusing on Improving Mathematics and Science Education.Southwest Comprehensive Center at WestEd Delivers Report on 21st Century Skills
Colorado Standards Review Process Moves Into High Gear
A brief delivered to the Colorado Department of Education by WestEd's Southwest Comprehensive Center, under the direction of Paul Koehler, provided context for state stakeholders to use in identifying Colorado's definitions for 21st century skills, college readiness, and career/postsecondary readiness. The stakeholders will begin oversight of the review process, and decide whether the standards should be articulated for each grade level rather than by groups of grades, and then assign subcommittee work.
Southwest Comprehensive Center at WestEd Delivers Report to Colorado Department of Education
Independent Analysis of CDE Funding Shows Over-Reliance on Federal Sources
WestEd's Southwest Comprehensive Center, under the direction of Paul Koehler, delivered an analysis to the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) indicating that the department relies too heavily on federal funding to support its operations. The report found that such reliance limits the flexibility of CDE to make changes called for in Forward Thinking, Commissioner Dwight D. Jones' plan for the department.
WestEd's Tracy Huebner on Benefits of Small High Schools
Transforming Inner-City Schools to Train Tomorrow's Work Force
Tracy Huebner, Senior Research Associate for Innovation Studies at WestEd, was quoted in a Wall Street Journal article about the small schools movement in Chicago Public Schools. The article states that Chicago has opened 55 small schools under Mayor Richard M. Daley's Renaissance 2010 plan, with an additional 21 slated for fall 2008. According to Huebner, small high schools can foster personal connections between students and staff members. Huebner directs WestEd's Rethinking High School project, a series of studies examining successful high schools nationwide that provides analyses of high school reforms in action. The series is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
WestEd Regional Educational Laboratory West (REL West) Study Featured in Article
Educators Focus Attention on Ninth Graders' Transition to High School
A WestEd report, Course-Taking Patterns and Preparation for Postsecondary Education in California's Public University Systems Among Minority Youth (PDF), was referenced in an article about the transition from middle to high school in the Los Angeles Unified School District. The report, prepared by REL West, found that the high school program for college preparation begins in the 9th grade and that making up missed preparatory courses and academic content is likely to be difficult for students who put off college-preparatory work until later in their high school career.
WestEd Study on Reenrolling High School Dropouts Sparks Local Coverage
Study Examines San Bernardino City Unified Efforts to Get Dropouts Back
A Regional Educational Laboratory West (REL West) study, Reenrollment of High School Dropouts in a Large, Urban School District, followed a cohort of first-time ninth graders in the San Bernardino City Unified School District, California's seventh largest, to answer the question: What happens to high school dropouts who reenroll?
Returning High School Dropouts Said to Face Too Tough a Road to Graduation
Education Week's "Eye on Research" series provided in-depth coverage of a WestEd study regarding reenrolling high school dropouts. WestEd conducted the study, Reenrollment of High School Dropouts in a Large, Urban School District (PDF), in response to requests to Regional Educational Laboratory West from policymakers and education administrators, who identified an information gap in the dropout literature. While the spotlight has focused on calculating dropout rates and identifying predictors, no attention had been paid to the numbers and graduation outcomes of dropouts who returned to school, and to the effects this "revolving door" of students has on district resources.
Regional Educational Laboratory West (REL West) Study Shines Spotlight on Reenrolling High School Dropouts
Study: Dropout Recovery Not Enough Without Support
BethAnn Berliner, lead author of a REL West study, Reenrollment of High School Dropouts in a Large, Urban School District (PDF), was quoted at length in an Education Daily feature. WestEd researchers found that both reenrolling students and district staff face significant obstacles in getting dropouts back in school and on track for graduation. The study also reports what the district's students and staff say about policies and practices that could improve student graduation outcomes.
WestEd Study Hits the Airwaves
Morning News: High School Dropout Study
BethAnn Berliner, lead author of the Regional Educational Laboratories West (REL West) study, Reenrollment of High School Dropouts in a Large, Urban School District (PDF), was interviewed by San Diego's KPBS Morning News. Berliner noted, "The field needs longitudinal studies to document dropout and reenrollment patterns, and [California's] San Bernardino City Unified School District provided a unique opportunity to, for the first time, track the high school trajectories of dropouts over the four or five year conventional time frame for completing a high school diploma."
WestEd Report Cited in High School Dropout Reenrollment Article
New Class Gets Kids in School
A WestEd report, Reenrollment of High School Dropouts in a Large, Urban School District (PDF), was cited in an article regarding Riverside County, California's efforts to convince dropouts to reenroll. While much media and research literature focus on high school dropouts, little is known about those who reenroll and the obstacles these students face to graduate. The WestEd report, prepared by the Regional Educational Laboratory West (REL West), is among the first to examine this overlooked population.
REL West Study Breaks New Ground: Projects California Teacher Demand County by County
Report: Riverside County to need 10,000 new teachers, S.B. County 7,000, by 2015
Trends in California Teacher Demand: A County and Regional Perspective (PDF), a groundbreaking WestEd report prepared for the Regional Educational Laboratory West and funded by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, projects California's teacher demand county by county. While previous teacher demand studies have recorded statewide trends and projections, this report highlights the regional differences when projecting teacher retirements and student enrollment by 2015/16. The Press-Enterprise covered the projected challenges that two counties, San Bernardino and Riverside, will face in their local teacher labor markets.
Regional Educational Laboratory West Study On the Air
Local News: Study Finds San Diego County Needs More Teachers
Melissa White, WestEd Senior Policy Associate for the Regional Educational Laboratory West, was interviewed on KPBS, San Diego, California's local National Public Radio affiliate. The station covered the release of a new study, Trends in California Teacher Demand: A County and Regional Perspective (PDF), which projects statewide teacher demand county by county based on expected teacher retirements and student enrollment over the next ten years.
Improving Student Achievement by Extending School: Is It Just a Matter of Time?
Research Yields Clues on the Effects of Extra Time for Learning
Julie Aronson, Senior Research Associate for WestEd's Evaluation Program, was interviewed for an Education Week article on time and learning. Aronson noted that education researchers distinguish between different types of time: allocated school time, allocated class time, instructional time, and academic learning time. More information can be found in the WestEd report, Improving Student Achievement by Extending School: Is It Just a Matter of Time?, and a WestEd Policy Brief, Making Time Count (PDF).
WestEd Policy Brief: Are Small Schools Better? School Size Considerations for Safety and Learning
School Merger Progress Wends Slowly Forward
A WestEd Policy Brief, Are Small Schools Better? School Size Considerations for Safety and Learning, was cited in an article from a Maine newspaper, the Kennebec Journal. According to the article, several towns are grappling with how to respond to a state mandate to consolidate smaller schools into larger sites.
Paul Koehler Cited on Equity Issue
Lagging Web Access Puts Arizona Kids Behind
Paul Koehler, Director of WestEd's Policy Center and the Southwest Comprehensive Center at WestEd, was cited in an article regarding Arizona students' internet access. Koehler noted that internet access is an equity issue and a growing national concern. The article frames internet access as an issue related to the skills students need to succeed and thrive in the workforce.
WestEd Policy Perspectives Paper Cited
Who's to Blame? Report Points to Faulty School Programs for Poor Reading Comprehension
An article about Victorville, California reading programs cites a WestEd Policy Perspectives paper, Why Do We Have a Knowledge Deficit?, by E. D. Hirsch, Jr. The author argues that U.S. students are failing at math, science, and reading partly because reading experts have overlooked the most important aspect of literacy, that reading comprehension depends on learning factual background knowledge in a broad array of subjects. WestEd's Policy Perspectives series presents visiting authors’ own views and/or research on issues relevant to schools and communities nationwide.
WestEd Innovation Studies program in the News
Education Department Issues Inaugural Guide for Evaluating Online Learning
Education Week reported that the U.S. Department of Education released its first guide on the evaluation of K-12 online learning programs, which according to the article have grown rapidly in recent years while evaluation methods for such education have lagged far behind. Researchers in WestEd's Innovation Studies program prepared the guide as part of their mission to create and disseminate user-friendly information to support educators who want to understand and effectively implement promising policies and practices.
WestEd's Elizabeth Burr Quoted on Summer School Research
School's Out (of Cash): Budget Cuts Force Districts to Cancel Summer Classes
Elizabeth Burr, WestEd Senior Research Associate for the Regional Educational Laboratory West, was interviewed for a San Diego Union-Tribune story on local cutbacks in summer school offerings. Burr noted that while recent research on the effectiveness of summer school is scant, there is some indication that without summer school, the already existing gap between middle-class students and students from low-income households who lag behind them academically grows wider. Burr also said that overall, the research on summer school efficacy yields mixed results.
Regional Educational Laboratory West (REL West) Study In the News
Study Examines What Happens to High School Dropouts Who Re-Enroll
Reenrollment of High School Dropouts in a Large, Urban School District (PDF), a study prepared by WestEd researchers at the Regional Educational Laboratory West, was covered in the Morgan Hill Times. The study followed a cohort of first-time 9th graders in one large urban school district from 2001-02 to 2005-06 and documents dropout, reenrollment, and graduation rates.
WestEd to Develop First Ever Technology Literacy Framework for Nation's Report Card
National Exam Aims to Test Students' Technological Literacy
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that WestEd was selected to develop the framework for the first ever national technological literacy exam, debuting in 2012. The governing board of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) exam, also known as the Nation's Report Card, plans to add the technological literacy exam to the existing national standardized tests in reading, math, science, history, writing, and other subjects. Steve Schneider, Director of WestEd's Mathematics, Science, & Technology Program, will oversee the effort.
Regional Educational Laboratory West (REL West) Study Highlighted in Education Week
Teacher Hiring — Trends in California Teacher Demand: A County and Regional Perspective
In its coverage of WestEd's Regional Educational Laboratory West (REL West) report, Trends in California Teacher Demand: A County and Regional Perspective (PDF), Education Week noted that California's demand for teachers over the next decade will affect its diverse counties in different ways. By projecting teacher-retirement trends and expected changes in student enrollment, the report identifies which counties will face the biggest hiring squeezes.
Regional Educational Laboratory West (REL West) Research Cited on Looming Teacher Retirements, Growing Enrollment
Sacramento's Need for New Teachers Is Set to Soar, Study Finds
Trends in California Teacher Demand: A County and Regional Perspective (PDF), a study prepared by WestEd researchers at the Regional Educational Laboratory West, was covered in the Sacramento Bee. According to the study, Sacramento County will need 6,990 new teachers by 2015-16. In the article, lead author Melissa White notes that if there are not enough teachers to meet this demand, more California students will be saddled with teachers who aren't fully prepared.
Regional Educational Laboratory West (REL West) Report: Trends in California Teacher Demand
WestEd Study Projects California's Ten-Year Demand for New Teachers County by County
YubaNet, news provider for the Sierra region of California, covered WestEd's report, Trends in California Teacher Demand: A County and Regional Perspective (PDF), prepared for the Regional Educational Laboratory West (REL West). The article noted that according to the study, Yuba County will need to hire the equivalent of 68% of the current teacher workforce by the 2015-16 school year.
WestEd to Develop Technology Literacy Framework
Skills With Technology to Be Gauged on NAEP
Education Week reported that WestEd was selected to develop the first ever technology literacy framework for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the Nation's Report Card. Steve Schneider, Director of WestEd's Mathematics, Science, & Technology Program, will lead the effort to create the basic blueprint for the standardized test, to be offered in 2012.
Approaches from WestEd's Reading Apprenticeship® Implemented in Detroit
New Strategy Helps Teens Boost Reading: Macomb County Takes Lead in Literacy Effort
Detroit's Macomb Intermediate School District has implemented several literacy methods developed by WestEd's Reading Apprenticeship® team, according to the Detroit Free Press. Among the Reading Apprenticeship strategies used are talking to the text, think aloud, and reading minute. Reading for Understanding: A Guide to Improving Reading in Middle and High School Classrooms provides a fuller description of the Reading Apprenticeship approach.
WestEd to Develop the Technology Literacy Framework for the Nation's Report Card
On the Way: Nation's First Tech-Literacy Exam
eSchool News reported that for the first time ever, technological literacy will become part of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the Nation's Report Card. Steve Schneider, Program Director of WestEd's Mathematics, Science, and Technology Program, said, "WestEd has assembled a highly qualified team composed of exceptional organizations and knowledgable individuals that bring a broad perspective on what students should know and be able to do in the area of technological literacy."
National Assessment Governing Board Selects WestEd to Develop NAEP Framework
Testing for Tech Literacy
In a recent story, BusinessWeek noted that as U.S. students fall further behind in math and science, the Department of Education has commissioned the first nationwide assessment on technology literacy which will be part of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Steve Schneider, Director of WestEd's Mathematics, Science, & Technology Program, will work with educators, school officials, the business community, and the public on constructing the test's framework.
SchoolsMovingUp English Learner Online Events in the Spotlight
Education Briefs: Webinar Training
According to the Deming Headlight, the local school district's department of bilingual services has tapped several WestEd webinars as part of their teacher and administrator professional development program. WestEd has offered a series of English learner webinars through its SchoolsMovingUp website, a free resource for those engaged in school improvement efforts, including one based on a WestEd service, English Learners and the Language Arts (ELLA), directed by Pamela Spycher.
Edynn Sato, WestEd Assessment Expert, Quoted in Article
ED to Simplify LEP Test Framework
Edynn Sato, Director of Research and English Language Learner Assessment at WestEd and Director of Special Populations for the Assessment and Accountability Comprehensive Center (AACC) at WestEd, was quoted in an Education Daily article. Sato noted that the newly published Framework for High-Quality English Language Proficiency Standards and Assessments: Brief (PDF) will create a consistent terminology across the No Child Left Behind Act's Title I and Title III regarding standards and assessement for students with limited English proficiency.
WestEd to Develop Test Framework
NAEP to Include Technology Literacy Assessments
Steve Schneider, Director of WestEd's Mathematics, Science, & Technology Program, will lead the development efforts for the national technological literacy assessment, to be administered in 2012 by the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Education Daily noted that organizations such as the International Society for Technology in Education, State Educational Technology Directors Association, and the Council of Chief State School Officers will work with WestEd to design the specifications and framework for the assessment.
WestEd's Yolanda Garcia Making News
Stipends Encourage Early Educators to Expand Knowledge
Yolanda Garcia, Director of WestEd's E3 Institute, was interviewed at length regarding the unique early childhood professional development program she oversees. The program, a collaboration among WestEd, California's statewide Comprehensive Approaches to Raising Educational Standards program, and the FIRST 5 Santa Clara County Commission, provides financial incentives to improve the educational attainment of early childhood educators. More information can be found in A Report on the First Five Years of Santa Clara CARES 2002-2006 (PDF).
Regional Educational Laboratory West (REL West) Report
Student Population Growth Heightens Teacher Shortage
In an Education Daily article, Melissa White, principal author of a WestEd report, Trends in California Teacher Demand: A County and Regional Perspective (PDF), noted the great variation from county to county in California's projected teacher demand. The report, prepared for the Regional Educational Laboratory West (REL West), highlights the county-by-county use of underprepared teachers and their expected needs for new teachers in the coming decade as driven by projected student enrollment changes and teacher retirements.
WestEd's Laurie Maak coauthors National Civic Review Article
Increasing Public Participation, Understanding, and Transparency of the Legislative Process Through the Use of Web Dialogue
Laurie Maak, developer and manager of WestEd's WebDialogues interactive technology solution, co-authored an article on the Washington State House of Representatives' use of technology to create web-based dialogues that increased transparency and expanded public access to the legislative process.
Cathy Carroll and Judy Mumme Recognized for Contributions to Professional Development
NSDC's Annual Susan Loucks-Horsley Award
Cathy Carroll and Judith Mumme, Senior Project Directors in WestEd's Mathematics, Science, and Technology Program, were honored at the National Staff Development Council (NSDC) 2008 Annual Conference in National Harbor, Maryland. The association presented them with the Susan Loucks-Horsley Award in recognition of their contributions to the field of professional development. Carroll and Mumme's most recent product, Learning to Lead Mathematics Professional Development, has been well received by the NSDC community.
This award, presented annually, salutes NSDC members whose research, writing, and professional relationships improve our understanding of change and promote high quality professional learning, particularly in mathematics and science. The award was established in honor of Susan Loucks-Horsley, a former WestEd employee who passed away in 2000. Susan was known throughout the United States and Europe for her pioneering research and development work in education change, professional development, and science and mathematics education.WestEd's Nancy Riddle Elected Board President
Berkeley Unified School District Announces School
Board Election Results
Nancy Riddle, WestEd's Chief Financial Officer, was elected President of the Board for the Berkeley Unified School District. A Berkeley, California school board member since 2002, Riddle has been active in several initiatives, including cochairing a successful $20 million school parcel tax campaign.
Judith Mumme and Cathy Carroll Recognized for Contributions to Professional Development
National Staff Development Council Announces Susan Loucks-Horsley Award Winners
Judith Mumme and Cathy Carroll, Senior Project Directors in WestEd's Mathematics, Science, and Technology Program, were honored at the National Staff Development Council (NSDC) 2008 Annual Conference in National Harbor, Maryland. The association presented them with the Susan Loucks-Horsley Award in recognition of their contributions to the field of professional development. Carroll and Mumme's most recent product, Learning to Lead Mathematics Professional Development, has been well received by the NSDC community.
This award, presented annually, salutes NSDC members whose research, writing, and professional relationships improve our understanding of change and promote high quality professional learning, particularly in mathematics and science. The award was established in honor of Susan Loucks-Horsley, a former WestEd employee who passed away in 2000. Susan was known throughout the United States and Europe for her pioneering research and development work in education change, professional development, and science and mathematics education.WestEd Wins Gold, Platinum Awards
MarCom Awards
The Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals, an international organization of several thousand communication, advertising, public relations, and media professionals, announced that WestEd won three awards in its 2008 competition:
The MarCom Platinum Award is for entries judged to be among the most outstanding in quality, creativity, and resourcefulness. The Gold Award is for entries that exceed the highest standards of the industry norm.
- Platinum Award: R&D Alert® Vol. 9, No. 2 Focus on Education Research
- Platinum Award: WestEd's 2007 Annual Report
- Gold Award: R&D Alert® Vol. 9, No. 1 Focus on Improving Mathematics and Science Education
WestEd ARRA Webinars Help Districts Prioritize Funding Choices
Large Districts to Use Stimulus for ELL Support
In an article about using funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), Education Week noted that WestEd offered a free webinar designed to help districts make wise decisions in using funding to assist English Language Learner (ELL) students. The webinar, moderated by WestEd ELL expert Robert Linquanti and offered through WestEd's SchoolsMovingUp website, is archived and available for free viewing.
California Mayors Education Roundtable Special Meeting
WestEd and San Francisco Mayor Host U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, at the invitation of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, recently participated in a special gathering of the California Mayors Education Roundtable. WestEd, which coordinates the Roundtable, assisted with arrangements for the meeting, and several key WestEd staff, including CEO Glen Harvey, participated in sessions with the Secretary.
Duncan encouraged state leaders not to retreat from their responsibilities to prepare all children to graduate from high school with college- and career-ready skills. Roundtable Coordinator Paul Koehler, who directs WestEd's Policy Center, facilitated the event attended by 17 California mayors and their cities' public school superintendents, county superintendents, school board members, and other state education leaders.
A WestEd initiative funded by the James Irvine Foundation, the Roundtable works with California mayors to support their participation in state and local conversations that will shape education policies, resources, and opportunities far into the future. The Roundtable convenes mayors, school superintendents, and their key staff; shares promising data- and evidence-based practices; and develops strategies to address local issues affecting students' education and career success.WestEd Named One of the Best Places to Work in Bay Area 2009
Best Places to Work in Bay Area 2009
WestEd has been recognized as one of the Best Places to Work in the Bay Area by the San Francisco Business Times and the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal. This is the 4th time that WestEd has been so designated.
The award, based solely on an anonymous survey of over 150,000 Bay Area employees at nearly 400 companies, recognizes that WestEd attracts, retains, and engages high-quality employees through positive working conditions, benefits, and organizational culture.
The Best Places to Work survey measured employee satisfaction across nine categories: team effectiveness, alignment of goals, trust in co-workers, individual contribution, manager effectiveness, trust in senior leaders, feeling valued, work engagement, and people practices.WestEd Recognized As a Best Place to Work in the Bay Area
Employee Satisfaction Remains High
WestEd has been recognized as one of the Best Places to Work in the Bay Area by the San Francisco Business Times and the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal. This is the 4th time that WestEd has been so designated. The award, based solely on an anonymous survey of over 150,000 Bay Area employees at nearly 400 companies, recognizes that WestEd attracts, retains, and engages high-quality employees through positive working conditions, benefits, and organizational culture. The Best Places to Work survey measured employee satisfaction across nine categories: team effectiveness, alignment of goals, trust in co-workers, individual contribution, manager effectiveness, trust in senior leaders, feeling valued, work engagement, and people practices.
WestEd's Bonnie Benard Educates Communities About Youth Assets, Risks
Resilience Is Key to Mental Health
Bonnie Benard, Senior Program Associate in WestEd's Health and Human Development Program, was a keynote speaker at the Prevention and Early Intervention Summit sponsored by the Stanislaus County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services. Benard spoke on the principles outlined in her bestselling book, Resiliency: What We Have Learned, which helps educators create more supportive and asset-rich environments, connect youth to their school communities, engage youth in learning, and reduce youth involvement in substance abuse, violence, and other risk behaviors.
WestEd to Evaluate Online Pre-Algebra Tutoring Program
UA Faculty's Math Tutoring System Tested
Steve Schneider, Director of WestEd's Mathematics, Science, and Technology Program will evaluate "AnimalWatch," a program using ecological instruction to aid students in pre-algebra learning. The program includes multimedia, videos, and other resources to help students along as they practice their mathematics. The program, developed by Carol Beal at the University of Arizona and adapted for use of students who are learning to speak English, will be implemented in three urban school districts in California beginning in September 2010 as part of the evaluation.
Resource: Guide to Making Math Accessible to ELLs
In her blog "Learning the Language," Mary Ann Zehr, assistant editor at Education Week, announced the publication of WestEd's latest resource for teaching English learners, Making Mathematics Accessible for English Learners. The guide is designed to help upper elementary, middle, and high school mathematics teachers who have had limited preparation for teaching mathematics to English learners by offering an integrated approach to teaching mathematics content and English language skills, including guidance on best instructional practices from the field, powerful and concrete strategies for teaching mathematics content along with academic language, and sample lesson scenarios that can be implemented immediately in any mathematics class.
WestEd Takes a Look at Independent Study High Schools
Researchers Spot Exotic New School Species in California
Education Week's Inside School Research blog reported findings from the REL West study Examining Independent Study High Schools in California, noting that nearly 4 percent of the state's 2 million high school students — 84,348 students — were enrolled full-time in independent study. Most of those students attended 231 independent study high schools spread across the state. What's more, the population of students pursuing independent study had grown 44 percent since the 2001-02 school year, rising from 66,000 to 84,348 in 2006-07, the most recent year for which researchers had data. Education Week's High School Connections blog also covered the study.
California Healthy Kids Survey Data Sparks Civic Conversation
Statistics of Teen Alcohol Use in California
In an Orinda News article on teen drinking, Sean Slade, Research Associate at WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey, noted a marked increase in Acalanes Union High School District student drinking patterns between 9th grade and 11th grade. Slade pointed to data indicating that 43 percent of 11th-graders in the Acalanes district reported drinking alcohol in the last 30 days, compared to the state average of 36 percent. Similarly, 48 percent of Acalanes 11th-graders said they’d been very drunk or sick from drinking in their lifetime, compared to the state average of 40 percent.
WestEd Program Director Celebrates 19 Years on Local Education Foundation Board
Question and Answer with: JAN PHLEGAR
Jan Phlegar, director of WestEd's Learning Innovations Program, was interviewed by the Natick Bulletin and Tab as one of the founders of the Natick Education Foundation in 1990. Phleger is retiring as co-president and board member after 19 years of service. The Natick Education Foundation is an independent nonprofit membership organization that stimulates excellence in the Natick Public Schools by awarding grants for projects and purchases that support the curriculum, by funding scholarships and professional development for educators, and by raising the profile of public education in Natick, Massachusetts.
WestEd's Assessement and Accountability Comprehensive Center Releases ELL Guidelines
How to Create English-Proficiency Standards and Tests
Education Week noted the publication of the Framework for High Quality English Language Proficiency Standards and Assessments. The free tool supports high quality standards and assessments to improve English learner language acquisition and academic success. The guide can be used to evaluate the existing English-proficiency standards and tests in a state. In addition, the researchers say, while the standards might be fine, states may need to do much more work to implement them.
WestEd Offers Free Webinar on Using ARRA Funds for Improving English Learners' Achievement
May 26 Webinar at WestEd on Using Stimulus Funds for ELLs
Robert Linquanti, Director for English Learner Evaluation and Accountability Support in WestEd's Comprehensive School Assistance Program, moderated a webinar panel comprising select members of the English Language Learner (ELL) Working Group. This Working Group recently issued recommendations for using ARRA funds wisely to meet the needs of our nation's English learners. The free webinar archives are available at WestEd's website, SchoolsMovingUp.net.
Examining Independent Study High Schools in California
High School Connections: Independent-Study High Schools Popping Up Across the Golden State
Education Week reported on a new WestEd study uncovering the little-noticed growth of a different type of high school in California: the independent study high school. Independent study high schools as schools in which at least 75 percent of students in grades 9-12 are engaged in full-time independent study. The report, Examining Independent Study High Schools in California, was authored by researchers Vanessa Barrat and BethAnn Berliner for WestEd's REL West.
WestEd to Develop NAEP Technology Literacy Framework
Vint Cerf, Internet Pioneer, to Help Craft NAEP Tech Literacy Test
Education Week reported that Vint Cerf, father of the Internet, will assist WestEd in developing the first ever technology literacy framework for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the Nation's Report Card. Steve Schneider, Director of WestEd's Mathematics, Science, & Technology Program, will lead the effort to create the basic blueprint for the standardized test, to be offered in 2012.
WestEd English Learner Research in the Spotlight
More About the Lack of Access for ELLs to a College-Prep Curriculum
Education Week covered a report that WestEd researchers Neal Finkelstein, Min Huang, and Anthony Fong prepared for the National High School Center. According to Education Week, the report, High School Course-Taking Patterns for English Language Learners: A Case Study From California, indicates that only about 8 percent of English language learners in California, compared with 20 percent of students who aren't English learners, finish high school having taken the required courses to be eligible to attend the California State University system.
WestEd's Stanley Rabinowitz Quoted
Following Obama's Call, States Start Redoing Their Tests
Stanley Rabinowitz, director of WestEd's Assessment & Standards Development Services, was quoted in an article regarding reauthorizing the No Child Left Behind Act. The article notes that even though President Obama has yet to introduce a detailed plan to reauthorize the law, states are at work on doing just that, with Kentucky leading the way.
Senta Raizen Co-Chairs Committe for New NAEP Framework
Curriculum Matters: Testing Tech Literacy
Education Week reported on an early report from the panel overseeing the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) on how it is attempting to forge a working definition, in preparation for judging students' tech literacy in 2012. The National Assessment Governing Board, which sets policy for the NAEP, must first develop a framework, or basic blueprint for that test. The board has put together steering and planning committees to work on the project. WestEd's Senta Raizen co-chairs the committee.
Progress on Defining Technological Literacy for NAEP Framework
Digital Education: Testing Tech Literacy
WestEd's Senta Raizen and National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Technological Literacy Framework co-chair Alan Friedman presented an update on progress made toward developing a "technology literacy" definition that will stand the test of time so that the test is not outdated within a few years after it's been unveiled. The co-chairs indicated that the exam's goal is not simply to test students' familiarity with computer products or features, or digital games. Rather, the goal is to evaluate students' understanding of "interconnections among technologies."
WestEd's Aida Walqui In the News
It's Everyone's Job to Teach ELLs
Education Week reported on an English learner professional development model developed by Aida Walqui, the director of WestEd's teacher professional development program, and colleagues. Through the model, called Quality Teaching for English Learners (QTEL), secondary school teachers in every discipline are coached in how to offer high-quality instruction for English learners. New York City and Austin school districts are among those that have applied the QTEL approaches. The article references WestEd's R&D Alert® Vol. 10, No. 1 Focus on English Learners.
Stanley Rabinowitz Notes New Wave of Rigor in Statewide Assessments
Kentucky Tests Tied to Tougher Standards
Stanley Rabinowitz, Director of WestEd's Assessment & Standards Development Services, told Education Week that rigor in benchmarking statewide assessments will be the new emphasis for states in developing their accountability systems. He also noted that states are under pressure to reduce the amount of time dedicated to testing and to deliver test results that help inform teachers’ instructional decisions. WestEd designs assessments for many states, including Kentucky’s.
Reading Apprenticeship
Extra Dose of 9th Grade Reading Said to Help
Among other findings, the Enhanced Reading Opportunities Study: Findings from the Second Year of Implementation, funded by the U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences (IES), reported that the Reading Apprenticeship academic literacy program had a positive and statistically significant impact on reading comprehension test scores for struggling ninth-grade readers participating in the study. Reading Apprenticeship is one of only two literacy intervention programs nationwide selected as promising enough for an IES rigorous study. The program was first described in Reading for Understanding: A Guide to Improving Reading in Middle and High School Classrooms.
REL West Study Says Ninth Grade Critical for College Eligibility
Preparation for College
WestEd's Neal Finkelstein and Tony Fong, researchers at REL West, found that many California high school students "fall off the college-preparatory track" because they are not taking the key math and science courses they need in 9th grade. The report, Course-Taking Patterns and Preparation for Postsecondary Education in California's Public University Systems Among Minority Youth, shows that students who complete those courses in 9th grade, instead of postponing them, are more likely to complete the courses required for admission to the state’s two university systems. The report also shows that white and Asian students are more likely than Hispanic and African-American students to meet the eligibility requirements.
Robert Linquanti's Policy Work In the Spotlight
English-Learners Pose Policy Puzzle
Robert Linquanti, Director for English Learner Evaluation and Accountability Support (ELEAS) in WestEd's Comprehensive School Assistance Program, was cited in an article about the task of ensuring that millions of children learn English and succeed academically, and the pressure it puts on states and school districts as they push to boost student achievement overall.
Edynn Sato Shares Her English Learner Assessment Expertise
Weigh Proficiency, Assess Content
Edynn Sato, Director of Research and English Language Learner Assessment in WestEd's Assessment and Standards Development Services program as well as the Director of Special Populations for the Assessment and Accountability Comprehensive Center, was interviewed for an article on the tensions and challenges of assessing English learners under NCLB requirements. Students who are still working to master the English language are held to the same reading and math proficiency targets as native English-speakers. According to the article, districts must satisfy two very different mandates of the federal law: assessing how well non-English-speakers are learning the language, while holding them to the same reading and math proficiency targets.
Robert Linquanti Interviewed on NCLB's Accountability Requirements for English Learners
States Beef Up LEP Accountability
Robert Linquanti, Director for English Learner Evaluation and Accountability Support (ELEAS) in WestEd's Comprehensive School Assistance Program, was interviewed regarding the accountability requirements in Title III of NCLB. The article reported that accountability requirements got out ahead of the assessment capacity of states, creating problems for many states that include years of missing data and incorrect improvement identifications for districts that did not make adequate progress in improving students’ language and content proficiency.
WestEd Policy Brief Referenced in Article
Pros, Cons of Full-day Kindergarten
An article in the Newark Advocate explored issues related to Ohio Governor Ted Strickland's proposal to provide full-time kindergarten for all school districts. WestEd's Policy Brief, Full-Day Kindergarten: Expanding Learning Opportunities, was one of several reports referenced in the article.
WestEd Center for Child and Family Studies
SISEL International Establishes the Earth Stewardship Foundation
According to Psychology & Psychiatry Journal, SISEL International announced the creation of the Earth Stewardship Foundation (ESF) charged with providing a safe haven for the Earth's most vulnerable in three focus areas: 1) orphaned and abandoned children, 2) endangered wildlife, and 3) fragile environments. ESF provides support to Whole Child International, which has partnered with the University of Pittsburgh, WestEd's Center for Child and Family Studies, the University of California, and the Pikler Institute to implement the most advanced childcare research within orphanages throughout the world. Trained caregivers nurture the children in small family-like groups that mimic the loving care and giving environment of a home rather than the sterile, incarceration-type institutions they experience during childhood. With WestEd's help, Whole Child International seeks to replace the cycle of despair with the chance of a bright future as orphans develop basic psychological tools to succeed in school, work, relationships, and their eventual families.
New Edition Released of Susan Villani's Classic Book
Comprehensive Mentoring Programs for New Teachers, Second Edition
Corwin Press has released a new edition of Susan Villani's classic book, Comprehensive Mentoring Programs for New Teachers: Models of Induction and Support. Villani, Senior Program Associate in WestEd's Learning Innovations Program, has over 30 years of experience working with thousands of new and experienced teachers and administrators on mentoring roles and preparation, comprehensive mentoring program design and improvement, and new teacher induction systems of support.
Silvia DeRuvo Coauthors a New Book for School Counselors
The School Counselor’s Guide to ADHD
Silvia DeRuvo, Special Education Resources Development Specialist for WestEd's Center for Prevention and Early Intervention, has coauthored a book answering common questions and containing the needed knowledge to assist parents and school personnel in helping students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The School Counselor's Guide to ADHD: What to Know and Do to Help Your Students covers not only principal causes, symptoms, and interventions for ADHD, but also current, detailed information on executive brain function, and describes inclusive practices that help define the multiple roles and responsibilities of school counselors.
WestEd's Healthy Kids Survey Supplies Research Data for Policy Makers
Youths' Nitrous Oxide Use Has Adults Taking Action
The Los Angeles Times reported that whippets, intended for home use to make whipped cream, are among the inhalants of choice among Los Angeles students, including middle-schoolers whose use of inhalants now outpaces marijuana use. In one reported case, an boy bought a whippet canister from an ice cream truck parked outside a local elementary school. According to the article, the 2007 California Healthy Kids Survey, designed and administered by WestEd's Health and Human Development Program, found that 17% of seventh-graders in the Los Angeles Unified School District had abused inhalants, compared with 8% of seventh-graders statewide, higher than in a previous study. In August, the California state legislature will vote on a bill prohibiting the sale or distribution of nitrous oxide, including whippets, to anyone under 18.
WestEd's Healthy Kids Survey Helps Local School Districts Identify Challenges
Fighting Down, But Bullying Up at High Schools
The Merced Sun-Star reported the local results of WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey, which indicated violent crime decreased at Merced Union High School District campuses last year while bullying and threats among students more than doubled. The survey results were released by the district at its board meeting Wednesday night, where experts noted the statistics represent a possible shift from physical violence to emotional attacks. According to the article, district leaders said they hope to improve in these areas through increased vigilance, the implementation of a character education program districtwide, and a recently enacted district policy against cyberbullying.
Association of California School Administrators Notes Publication of REL West Report
Report on Independent Study Finds Sharp Enrollment Increase
EdCal, the official newspaper of the Association of California School Administrators, took note of the REL West study, Examining Independent Study High Schools in California. WestEd prepared the report at the request of several state education stakeholders wishing to learn more about this little-noticed type of high school. WestEd senior economist Vanessa Barrat and senior researcher BethAnn Berliner authored the study.
WestEd Assists in California's Efforts to Improve Outcomes for High School Students
Schools Chief O'Connell Submits Status Report to Legislature Exploring Multiple Pathway Programs
As reported in the Imperial Valley News, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell announced he submitted to the state Legislature a status report exploring the feasibility of expanding multiple pathway programs designed to improve outcomes for students attending California high schools. According to the article, O'Connell thanked WestEd and funder James Irvine Foundation for preparing the report. Multiple pathway programs created for high schools have an integrated academic and technical core curriculum, combined with a variety of work-based learning opportunities and support services. These programs can be found in a growing number of California school districts in the form of California partnership academies, regional occupational centers and programs, charter schools, academies, small learning communities, and other career-themed small schools. Svetlana Darche, Director of Career Education at WestEd, is heading the agency's work for this report.
Pamela Burdman Examines Postsecondary Education Policy in the Golden State
Does California's Master Plan Still Work?
Pamela Burdman, former Senior Project Director for WestEd's Innovation Studies Program, published an article about changes that may be needed to make California's 1960 Master Plan for Higher Education relevant to current college-going trends. The essay, published in Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, considers such worrisome state trends such as a sharp drop in the percentage of students going to college directly after high school, and a continued racial gap in both high school graduation and college participation. Burdman's work focuses on postsecondary readiness and completion, a new concentration area for WestEd.
Pamela Burdman Is a Featured Guest on Which Way, LA?
Legislators Slash Budget, Cal State System Bleeds
Pamela Burdman, former Senior Project Director for WestEd's Innovation Studies Program joined Charles Reed, Chancellor, California State University and Vincent Del Casino, Jr., Chairman of the Geography Department, California State University, Long Beach on KCRW's popular Which Way, L.A.? radio show. Moderator Warren Olney led a lively, thoughtful, and provocative discussion of the impacts of budget cuts on the 23-campus California State University system, which serves 450,000 students.
WestEd Work on Effective Principals Helps Shift National Dialogue
Principals' Job Reviews Getting a Fresh Look
The role and importance of principals in school improvement has been overshadowed by the national dialog on raising teacher effectiveness — until now. A new publication from WestEd is helping sharpen the focus on evaluating the work of principals.
The Policies and Practices of Principal Evaluation: A Review of the Literature summarizes key points from an analysis of 68 documents that focus on evaluating principals. It provides accessible research for leaders to broadly frame what they consider in selecting principal evaluation models.
Karen Kearney, Director of the Leadership Initiative at WestEd, co-authored the literature review. In an Education Week article, Kearney says that principal evaluation is more informal and unstructured than teacher evaluation. It's also been less studied. Her literature review turned up just 28 research studies in the last 30 years.
PITC Provides Statewide Training
NORWESCAP Participates in New Jersey-Wide Initiative to Improve Care for Infants
NORWESCAP, Northwest New Jersey Community Action Program, participated in a New Jersey-wide initiative to improve care for infants by receiving training from WestEd's Program for Infant/Toddler Care (PITC). PITC is the nation's most widely used training program designed to improve the quality of care for infants and toddlers in group settings. NORWESCAP is a non-profit community action agency established in 1965 that creates opportunities for over 30,000 low-income people in northwest New Jersey by providing a large portfolio of self sufficiency and emergency services. Licensed child care center staff, registered family child care providers, and other professionals that work closely with infants and toddlers may attend the statewide training free of charge through funding provided by the New Jersey Department of Human Services, Division of Family Development.
WestEd's Candice Bocala Selected for Service to the Field
Harvard Educational Review Announced 2009-2010 Editorial Board Appointments
Harvard Educational Review announced that Candice Bocala will serve as an editor for the 2009-2010 term. She is a third-year doctoral student in Education Policy, Leadership, and Instructional Practice at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE), and her research interests include teacher leadership and collaboration, new teacher preparation, and equity and social justice in education. Previously, Bocala taught elementary school, including at an arts-based special education school, in Washington, D.C. public schools. She has supervised and taught student teachers as an adjunct instructor at American University and at HGSE, where she currently serves as a program advisor for the Teacher Education Program. She also works on a research team at WestEd's Learning Innovations Program where she has contributed to studies for the Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast and Islands.
WestEd Helps Arizona District Exit Program Improvement
Most Arizona Schools Satisfactory or Better
WestEd has entered into a partnership with the Ellis Center for Educational Excellence and the Creighton Elementary School District in a comprehensive districtwide reform initiative designed to provide research-based technical assistance, build capacity, and improve student achievement. KPNX-TV covered the first year's successful results in this turn-around effort, as measured by Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS) 2009 test results. Several WestEd coaching, research, and technical assistance teams are collaborating in the initiative, including our Teach for Success® service directed by Huck Fitterer.
WestEd's Eric Crane Contributes to EdSource Report
California’s Charter Schools: 2009 Update on Issues and Performance
Eric Crane, Senior Research Associate with WestEd's Innovation Studies Program, contributed to an EdSource Report, "California’s Charter Schools: 2009 Update on Issues and Performance." The publication looks at the performance of California charter schools and explores policy issues as well.
California Department of Education's Special Education Division Publishes Linda Brault Article
The Economics of Early Childhood Special Education
The Special EDge, the newsletter of the California Department of Education's Special Education Division, published an article on the economics of early childhood education by WestEd's Linda Brault. The article tracks current trends in support and resources, calling for educators to harness collaborative opportunities. From WestEd's Center for Child and Family Studies, Brault directs several projects including Beginning Together, the Teaching Pyramid, and the California Map to Inclusive Child Care Project.
Stanley Rabinowitz, ARRA Webinar, In the News
‘Race to the Top’ May Rush Reform, Expert Says
A webinar presented by Stanley Rabinowitz, director of WestEd's Assessment & Standards Development Services, was covered in an Education Daily article about how states will spend portions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The free, archived webinar, Making Progress on Essential Standards and Assessment Reforms, was one in a series of WestEd-sponsored online events related to ARRA's education goals, featuring leading experts on themes and principles for making progress on state and local education reforms, including topics such as early childhood, low-performing schools, and English learners.
Consuelo Espinosa Appointed to California Senate Bill 1629 Advisory Committee
Early Learning Quality Improvement System Advisory Committee
In an announcement from the office of Senator Darrell Steinberg, California State Senate, WestEd's Consuelo J. Espinosa was appointed to California's prestigious Early Learning Quality Improvement System Advisory Committee, comprising representatives from the early care and education community, Governor's office, California Children and Families Commission, state legislature, and the Departments of Education, Finance, and Social Services. Espinosa, Infant/Toddler Specialist with WestEd's Program for Infant/Toddler Care, will join other committee members in developing improvement plans for the quality of California's early education programs, including the development of a quality rating scale for child development programs, birth to age five. The legislation specifically charges the Advisory Committee with "development of a funding model aligned with the quality rating scale for child care and development programs." The Advisory Committee will conduct an assessment and analysis of the existing early care and education infrastructure, and may consider a range of issues such as teacher qualifications and compensation, parent involvement, English learner support, group size, and ratios. Additionally, the Advisory Committee will establish subcommittees to gather further input to guide their work, including one specifically dedicated to infant and toddler care. The committee will provide an interim report to the Legislature and Governor by December 31, 2009, and a final report one year later.
WestEd's Center for Prevention and Early Intervention Provides Professional Development
First 5 Partners with WestEd to Aid Childhood Mental Health
WestEd's Center for Prevention and Early Intervention has partnered with California First 5 to offer a free, two-year professional development program throughout Yolo County to providers working with children 0 to 5 years of age and their families on early childhood mental health issues. The program is designed to build mental health expertise along the continuum of prevention, preventive intervention, and treatment, based on California's Revised Training Guidelines and Personnel Competencies for Infant-Family and Early Childhood Mental Health, 2009 (PDF), codeveloped by WestEd.
Tracy Huebner Provides Research Column for ASCD Magazine
What the Research Says About Small-Group Intervention for ELLs
Tracy Huebner, Senior Research Associate in WestEd's Innovation Studies Program, published another article in the "What Research Says About..." series written for Educational Leadership. Each installment in the series examines a topic of urgent interest to K–12 educators, presenting ideas from the most current and best research. Educational Leadership magazine, the flagship publication of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), is circulated to nearly 200,000 principals, administrators, and other education leaders.
Aída Walqui and QTEL Featured in The Education Digest
EL Expertise: Not Just for Specialists Anymore
An article about WestEd's Quality Teaching for English Learners, directed by Aída Walqui, was included in The Education Digest. The article, originally published in WestEd's R&D Alert®, notes that providing the best possible education for English learners is an issue of increasing urgency because a majority of English learners were born in the U.S. and their proportion within the overall student population continues to grow dramatically. The original article can be read in its entirety in WestEd.org's article database: EL Expertise: Not Just for Specialists Anymore.
WestEd's Web Dialogues In the News
Engaging Citizens Online
In an article about meaningful online civic engagements, State Legislatures magazine included The California Education Master Plan WebDialogue, a legislative web-based civic engagement effort, as a positive model. WestEd's WebDialogues platform is designed to create targeted purposeful discussions among public agencies, policymakers, subject experts, and citizens. Host organizations benefit by the thoughtful exchange of ideas and information that supports well-informed decision-making.
California Mayors Education Roundtable Tackles Persistent, Prevalent Problem
Dropouts Cost Communities Millions Over Their Lifetimes, Research Says
In an article about dropouts in California's major cities, Paul Koehler, Director of WestEd's Policy Center, was interviewed as leader of the California Mayors Education Roundtable, a policy effort funded by the James Irvine Foundation. Seventeen member mayors started meeting two years ago to discuss how they could improve education in their cities, and dropouts have become a primary focus. Dropouts cause an economic loss to their communities because they pay less in taxes, commit more crimes, and are more likely to be in poor health, according to the UC Santa Barbara-based California Dropout Research Project, which produced city-specific dropout reports for the Roundtable.
Senta Raizen Comments on Science and Student Engagement
"Depth" Matters in High School Science Studies
In an science education article about topical breadth versus depth, Senta Raizen, Director of WestEd's National Center for Improving Science Education, commented on the need to explore intensely the core topics of science. The article notes that among other things, high school depth-based learning better prepares students for college, while Raizen noted the positive impact depth has for student engagement.
Southwest Comprehensive Center at WestEd Report Helps Clarify State Education Funding Issues
State Education Agency Awaits Federal Audit
The Denver Post reported that the federal government will audit the Colorado Department of Education, focusing on its use of federal funds intended for low-income students. A report prepared by the Southwest Comprehensive Center at WestEd helped identify how funds have been spent, while noting that Colorado's Department of Education receives less funding from the state than many other state education departments.
WestEd's WebDialogues Platform Fosters Civic Engagement
Make Your Voice Heard in the CDC H1N1 “Public Engagement Meetings”
In July, the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services announced that the federal government expects to initiate a voluntary fall vaccination program against the 2009 H1N1 flu virus. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will help state and local health organizations develop the vaccination program and are working to decide what should be the scope of the program for vaccinating Americans against the novel H1N1 pandemic influenza virus. Using town hall meetings as well as online WebDialogues produced by WestEd's Laurie Maak, the CDC is asking for public discussion, deliberation, and input as the agency considers whether to simply make vaccines available to those seeking immunization, to promote vaccination to those most at risk, or to implement a widespread immunization program. Register here.
WestEd, CUE, and Google Partner to Provide Summer Teacher Professional Development Opportunity
Google Teacher Academy Boulder Notes
WestEd web producer Allison Merrick is working with the Google Teacher Academy and Computer-Using Educators (CUE) to offer summer teacher professional development opportunities on integrating Google technologies into K–12 teaching and learning. Participant Wesley Freyer has posted resource notes from the Boulder, Colorado Google Teacher Academy to his blog, Moving at the Speed of Creativity.
WestEd Moves Development Process Forward, Senta Raizen Presents to NAGB
NAEP Draft on Technological Literacy Unveiled
Education Week reported that WestEd's Senta Raizen presented a discussion draft of the framework for the national assessment of technological literacy — the first to gauge students’ understanding of and skill in using a range of tools— to the board that oversees the testing program. The computer-based National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in technological literacy, scheduled to be administered to a representative sample of the nation’s 4th, 8th, and 12th graders for the first time in 2012, will evaluate students’ understanding of technology tools and their design, the ways they can be used to gather information and communicate ideas, and their impact on society. Steve Schneider, Director of WestEd's Mathematics, Science, and Technology Program, is leading the development under a contract with the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB).
SchoolsMovingUp Webinar on Education Week Blog, "Learning the Language"
Resource: Free Webinar on Academic Language for K–8
Pamela Spycher, who directs WestEd's English Learners and the Language Arts project, will be giving a webinar on August 20, 2009 on how to teach academic language to English-language learners in grades K–8. Register here.
Edys Quellmalz Publishes Article in Prestigious Science Journal
Technology and Testing
Edys Quellmalz, director of WestEd's Technology Enhanced Assessments & Learning Systems, was the lead author of an article on large-scale K–12 assessment in a special "Technology and Education" issue of Science. Quellmalz and coauthor James Pellegrino outline the benefits technology brings to standardized testing, including development, administration, and scoring of tests, as well as reporting of results. The article also covers innovative applications of technology that provide rich, authentic tasks that challenge the sorts of integrated knowledge, critical thinking, and problem solving seldom addressed in paper-based tests. The authors envision a new era of technology-enabled, learning-centered assessment systems that integrate curriculum-embedded, benchmark, and summative assessments across classroom, district, state, national, and international levels. Quellmalz and WestEd colleagues are conducting an experimental study comparing the effectiveness of computer-based and paper-based tests, Foundations of 21st Century Science Assessments.
WestEd's Evaluation of the Opening Minds Through the Arts Program in the News
藝術教育究竟有什麼用？Why Do We Need Arts Education?
WestEd's evaluation study of the Opening Minds Through the Arts (OMA) program was the focus of an article in the St. Louis Chinese American News, originally published in China Culture Daily. OMA is an "arts in education model" based on brain-based learning theories. OMA expands learning opportunities for underachieving students by integrating the arts into the core curriculum, strengthening arts instruction in grades K–5, and providing opportunities for students to create, perform, and respond to the arts. The study, directed by Sandy Sobolew-Shubin, found that after three years of participation in the OMA program, students made reliable improvement on Stanford 9 reading, language, and math tests. Note: This article is written in Chinese.
WestEd's Healthy Kids Survey Provides Impetus for Community Engagement
Benicia Police, Schools Team Up for Drug Forums
Benicia police and school officials held the first of a series of substance abuse forums to help parents and teens dialogue about drug and alcohol use. The introductory meeting provided an overview of drug use in Benicia. In the 2008 California Healthy Kids Survey, 64 percent of Benicia 11th-graders reported drinking alcohol at least once in their lives. The figures for ninth- and seventh-graders were 46 and 26 percent, respectively. The full report with data on marijuana and hard-drug use can be viewed on WestEd's Healthy Kids Survey website.
WestEd, University of Cincinnati, Develop Online Associate Degree Program for Head Start Teachers
Learning from Afar or Across the Street
WestEd's Center for Child and Family Studies and the University of Cincinnati are codeveloping an online associate degree program for Head Start teachers. The partnership, "Mentor Infant and Toddler Teachers," serves English-and-Spanish-speaking teachers serving infants and toddlers in early Head Start programs. Ron Lally and Peter Mangione, codirectors of the center, are leading the curriculum development.
Book Developed by WestEd's Sharon Nelson-Barber Reviewed
Culturally Responsive Mathematics Education
Culturally Responsive Mathematics Education, edited by WestEd's Sharon Nelson-Barber and colleagues, was reviewed by SciTech Book News. The book presents 15 papers exploring issues related to recognizing cultural difference in mathematics education in the United States. Nelson-Barber, director of WestEd's Center for the Study of Culture and Language in Education, also contributed a chapter, "What Mathematics Teachers Need to Know about Culture and Language."
Response to Intervention (RTI) SchoolsMovingUp Webinar Archive Available
Move Beyond Interim Assessments to Improve Differentiated Instruction
Today's School Psychologist drew upon a SchoolsMovingUp webinar on Response to Intervention presented by Robert Anderson, Senior Assessment Specialist at WestEd. Anderson discussed the multiple uses of progress monitoring systems: directly helping the student being assessed, identifying timely, focused interventions and differentiated instruction, and evaluating curriculum and programs.
Stanley Rabinowitz Appointed to Common Core State Standards Initiative Validation Committee
New Standards Draft Offers More Details
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.
WestEd Researchers Advise Education Officials
Does All-Day Kindergarten Work? Figuring It Out Isn't Kids' Stuff
The Salt Lake Tribune reported on Utah's policy debates about whether or not to expand a statewide full-day kindergarten program. WestEd researchers from the Regional Educational Laboratory West, directed by Gary Estes, advised state education officials on the feasibility of conducting research to evaluate the program's efficacy for low-income children.
Steve Schneider Speaks at the Web 2.0 Summit
A Call to Arms for Technological Literacy
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.
Examining Independent Study High Schools in California
American School Board Journal Includes WestEd Study
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.
Aída Walqui Serves on Report's Research Advisory Committee
Succeeding With English Language Learners: Lessons Learned from the Great City Schools
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.
REL West Study Cited in Newspaper Editorial
Our View: California Teachers Dropping Like Flies
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.
Aída Walqui, Director of WestEd's Quality Teaching for English Learners (QTEL), Interviewed
Scholars Say Students Need Chances to Speak in Class
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.
WestEd's Reading Apprenticeship Model Featured in Carnegie Literacy Report
Time to Act: An Agenda for Advancing Adolescent Literacy for College and Career Success
"Time to Act: An Agenda for Advancing Adolescent Literacy for College and Career Success," a new report from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, features model approaches that work, including WestEd's Reading Apprenticeship framework and curricula. Experimental studies have shown that the approach, developed by Ruth Schoenbach and Cynthia Greenleaf, results in statistically significant literacy gains for adolescent readers across the disciplines.
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan Presents at WestEd Leadership Forum
California Mayors Education Roundtable Provides Support
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan served as keynote speaker at Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson's recent California Leadership Forum. Duncan, WestEd CEO Glen Harvey, and other education leaders discussed the state capital's reform efforts to increase academic success for Sacramento youth. The event was supported by the California Mayors Education Roundtable, an initiative directed by Paul Koehler, Director of WestEd's Policy Center.
WestEd Study Reports Trends in California Teacher Demand
An Education Problem Looms
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.
WestEd Interactive Credited for Developing Web-based Education Improvement Tools
Teaching Web Site Aims to Close Achievement Gap
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.
WestEd Wins Awards
Marcom Awards
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 communication programs and print, visual, and audio materials. Entries come from corporate communication departments, advertising agencies, public relations firms, design shops, production companies, and freelancers. WestEd's winning entries are:
The awards competition this year had nearly 6,000 entries from throughout the United States and several dozen other countries, with winning entries from a range of organizations, including individual communicators, media conglomerates, and Fortune 500 companies.
- 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
WestEd Helps Yolo County Increase Mental Health Support for Children
WestEd Graduates 20 Mental Health Professionals
Foster parents, Head Start instructors, and university instructors were among 20 recent graduates from a WestEd-led program to deliver free professional development to infant/family and early childhood education personnel.
The training helps professionals who work with children from birth to 5 years old to recognize and provide appropriate intervention for mental health issues.
The two-year program, new this year, combined monthly classroom style trainings, homework assignments, and clinical hours. The curriculum was specifically designed to build mental health expertise in prevention, early intervention, and treatment.
R&D Alert, Annual Report Recognized for Quality
WestEd Wins Seven 2009 MarCom Awards
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:
The awards competition this year had nearly 6,000 entries from throughout the United States and several dozen other countries, with winning entries from a range of organizations, including individual communicators, media conglomerates, and Fortune 500 companies.
- 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
Newspaper Interviews WestEd's Jodie Hoffman on Mobile Learning Tool Evaluation Study
Meet the iParent: An iPhone in Every Crib, an App for Every Toddler
WestEd Research Associate Jodie Hoffman was interviewed by Toronto's Globe and Mail for a story on educational applications for the iPhone. Hoffman helped conduct a 2006 evaluation study of a PBS KIDS literacy tool for mobile phones.
WestEd's Aim for Algebra™ Intervention Curriculum Contributes to Student Success
Silicon Valley Summer Program Boosts Algebra Scores 20 Percent
Stepping Up to Algebra, an algebra readiness summer program sponsored by the Silicon Valley Education Foundation for local eighth graders, reported that attending students improved in math proficiency by 20 percent. The Mercury News noted that program sponsors hope to expand the program in 2010 from 400 to 750 students. The curriculum incorporates modules from Aim for Algebra™, a standards-aligned, concept-based supplemental/intervention curriculum developed by WestEd with funding from the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences.
WestEd's Policy Perspectives in the News
Longer School Days Boost Academic Achievement, Report Says
School Library Journal cited WestEd's Policy Perspectives paper, Expanding School Time to Expand School Learning by Christopher Gabrieli and Warren Goldstein, in an article about longer school days. Policy Perspectives is a series of occasional white papers that present visiting authors’ own views and/or research on issues relevant to schools and communities nationwide.
WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey Data Informs Local Action
Officials Address Underage Drinking in Mountain Communities
In San Bernardino County, California, a coalition of Big Bear residents met with local law enforcement to tackle the challenges of underage drinking in the local community, according to online newspaper RimOfTheWorld.net. The group is using data from WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey to inform their action plan.
WestEd's Senta Raizen Publishes Science Article on New NAEP Science Framework
The Nation's Report Card: A Vision of Large-Scale Science Assessment
Senta Raizen, Director of WestEd's National Center for Improving Science Education, coauthored an article in Science about the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), known as the "Nation's Report Card." The article discuses how the new NAEP science framework attempts not only to reflect the last 20 years of science and science education but also to signal the way forward and push the boundaries of large-scale science assessment. Raizen has been instrumental in leading the new framework's development under a contract with the National Assessment Governing Board.
Los Angeles Group Uses WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey Data to Target Parents
South Bay Coalition's New Media Campaign Focuses on Adults
A Los Angeles community group is using data from WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey to support an education campaign targeting families. The program emphasizes that parents need to serve as role models to children in curbing alcohol and other drug use, and asks parents to consider how their actions influence the habits of youngsters. According to organizers, the program marks a shift from anti-drugs to pro-family, pro-communication, and pro-relationship.
Trinity High School to Address Trends Uncovered by WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey
Survey Indicates Drug, Alcohol Use at THS Exceeds State
The Trinity Journal reported that Weaverville, California's Trinity High School has experienced a rising trend in the use of alcohol, marijuana, cigarettes, and chewing tobacco among ninth-grade students, according to WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) to support an education campaign targeting families. According to the article, local agencies will use the survey results to help develop strategies for improvement and access grant funds for specific programs to reverse the trend.
California Healthy Kids Survey Data Informs Local Law Enforcement
Yuba-Sutter Teens' Access to Cigarettes Higher Than State Average
According to the Appeal Democrat, the Sutter County Sheriff's Department conducted a sting operation on merchants selling tobacco to minors. WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey showed 74 percent of 11th graders in Sutter County answered "very easy" or "fairly easy" to the question "How difficult is it for students in your grade to obtain cigarettes?" The article also reported that Yuba County had even higher marks on that question, with 77 percent answering "very easy" or "fairly easy."
California Healthy Kids Survey Shows More Teens Understand Smoking Risks
Health & Fitness: Quit Smoking for Better Health
The Press-Banner reported that smoking in California is on the decline. Among the data cited were the most recent results from WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey, which showed that in Santa Cruz County, 6 percent more of 7th graders, 9th graders, and 11th graders agree that the frequent use of cigarettes is harmful or extremely harmful, compared to the survey taken in 2007.
WestEd's Dr. Art Takes an Imaginative Approach to Science
Planet Earth Show May Inspire Young Scientists
Dr. Art's Planet Earth Show, presented by WestEd Senior Project Director Art Sussman, will come to Bell Memorial Union at Chico State University this month as a way to get youngsters and their parents excited about science and to inspire students to start thinking about possible Chico Science Fair entries. Sussman has authored the book, Dr. Art's Guide to Science: Connecting Atoms, Galaxies, and Everything in Between and the companion DVD, Dr. Art Does Science, which also help bring the magic of science to audiences through demonstrations and games.
WestEd's California Healthy Kid Survey Provides Data for Policymakers
Responsible Parenting
A Sonoma News editorial on the need for policies making parents responsible for their children's behavior cited results from WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey. According to the opinion piece, the number of Sonoma Valley fifth graders reporting they had used alcohol in the past 30 days rose to 35 percent.
WestEd's California Healthy Kid Survey Provides Local Community Data
Frightening Rise in Binge Drinking Among Teens
A Woodland, California Daily Democrat article on teen binge drinking drew on data from WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey, noting that binge drinking among teens has been a problem in Woodland and has stayed fairly consistent since 2002.
California Healthy Kids Survey Makes the Grade
Year In Review: A Look Back At 2009
In a review of 2009, The Oakdale Leader showcased stories taken from their front pages. Among the highlighted stories was one on WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey, which showed an overall decreases in substance use and violence in Oakdale schools.
National Center on Response to Intervention Notes RTI Report Authored by WestEd Researchers
IES Report: Features of State Response to Intervention Initiatives in Northeast and Islands Region States
The National Center on Response to Intervention (RTI) newsletter, The RTI Responder, covered the publication of a report authored by researchers in WestEd's Learning Innovations program and released by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES). The report documents the results of a search of state education agency websites in the nine Northeast and Islands Region jurisdictions for publicly available information related to RTI.
Community Alliance Network Uses WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey Data
Teen Drinking Prompts Town Hall
The Orange County Register reported that the Dana Point Youth Board is considering participating in an underage-drinking town hall at Dana Hills High School. The town hall would be hosted by the nonprofit Community Alliance Network, the prevention arm of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence-Orange County, in collaboration with the school's Parent Teacher Student Association. According to the article, community groups are concerned about local school district results from WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey showing that 23 percent of 9th graders and 45 percent of 11th graders reported having consumed alcohol within the past 30 days.
Napa Police Department Draws from WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey Data
Turning Up the Heat on Teen Access to Booze
The Napa Valley Register reported that the local police department has established a program to monitor the adult role in providing alcohol to youths. According to the article, an impetus was the data collected from the California Healthy Kids Survey, which found that 69 percent of 11th graders within the Napa Valley Unified School District have consumed alcohol. Thirty-one percent have either driven after drinking or been in a car with a driver who had been drinking. Within the same group, 78 percent said it is easy to acquire alcohol.
Local Obesity Data from WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey Cited
Grant to Aid in Fight Against Childhood Obesity in the Pajaro Valley
The Santa Cruz Sentinel reported that the United Way of Santa Cruz County has received funding from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities initiative to tackle the problem of childhood obesity in the community during the next four years. The article noted data from WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey showing that in the Pajaro Valley, 36 percent of fifth-, seventh-, and ninth-graders are classified as overweight. In comparison, 24 percent of the same group is considered overweight for the county as a whole, which is slightly above the state average.
WestEd's Pamela Burdman Tackles Community College Policy Challenges
A Societal Imperative: Changing the Way We Think About Community Colleges
In a National CrossTalk article published by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, Pamela Burdman, Senior Project Director in WestEd's Innovation Studies program, addresses the thorny policy issues related to community colleges. She notes that while the historical and present-day challenges faced by these colleges are great, changing the way community colleges think about their students is the first step toward changing the way we all think about community colleges.
WestEd's Robert Linquanti on Expert Panel, Assessment and English Language Learners
U.S. Department of Education Race to the Top Assessment Program
WestEd's Robert Linquanti was selected as an expert panelist by the U.S. Department of Education to provide input on assessment and English language learners. The Secretary of Education has set aside up to $350 million of Race to the Top funds for the potential purpose of supporting states in the development of a next generation of assessments. Linquanti's two PowerPoint presentations are available for download:
Strengthening the Signal: Thoughts on Leveraging RTTT Assessment Program To Improve Outcomes for English Language Learners
Race To The Top Assessment Program: How will English Language Learners Participate?WestEd's Edys Quellmalz on Expert Panel, Technology and Innovation
U.S. Department of Education Race to the Top Assessment Program
WestEd's Edys Quellmalz was selected as an expert panelist by the U.S. Department of Education to provide input on technology and innovation. The Secretary of Education has set aside up to $350 million of Race to the Top funds for the potential purpose of supporting States in the development of a next generation of assessments. Materials from Quellmalz's presentation are available for download:
Recommendations for Technology and Innovation in Assessment (PDF)
Recommendations for Technology and Innovation in Assessment (PPT)WestEd's Edys Quellmalz on Expert Panel, Technology and Innovation
U.S. Department of Education Race to the Top Assessment Program
WestEd's Edys Quellmalz was selected as an expert panelist by the U.S. Department of Education to provide input on technology and innovation. The Secretary of Education has set aside up to $350 million of Race to the Top funds for the potential purpose of supporting states in the development of a next generation of assessments. Materials from Quellmalz's presentation are available for download:
Recommendations for Technology and Innovation in Assessment (PDF)
Recommendations for Technology and Innovation in Assessment (PPT)DistrictsMovingUp Making a Difference at Creighton
WestEd Helps Schools Improve
Phoenix, Arizona's NBC affiliate Channel 12 reported on WestEd's comprehensive districtwide reform initiative in the Creighton Elementary School District (CESD). The project, a partnership funded by the Ellis Center for Educational Excellence, a Phoenix-based philanthropy, is designed to provide research-based technical assistance, build capacity, and improve student achievement. Staff from WestEd's DistrictsMovingUp services lead the effort.
Policy Perspectives Paper Excerpted on Brookings Institution Website
Research to Practice: The Future of the Regional Educational Labs
The Brookings Institution website excerpted a WestEd Policy Perspectives paper, Education Research: Past, Present, and Future, by Grover (Russ) Whitehurst. The former Director of the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, describes the historical challenges and opportunities for the Regional Educational Laboratories (RELs). Created in 1966, the RELs were originally designed to be the brokers and translators of education research to practice and policy. However, according to Whitehurst, they could not fulfill that role absent a strong research base, effective mechanisms for quality control of their products, and an activist stance by the federal government in education reform.
Anthony Petrosino and Sarah Guckenburg Conduct Juvenile Delinquency Study
Could Labeling Accused Teens "Delinquent" Cause More Crime?
A research report written by WestEd's Anthony Petrosino and Sarah Guckenburg, and Carolyn Turpin-Petrosino concluded that sending juveniles through the youth justice system can increase delinquency. That is, according to research study results, formal system processing did not reduce juvenile delinquency and often increased crime when compared to providing a diversion program or "doing nothing."
This study, sponsored by The Campbell Corporation, resulted in a report, Formal System Processing of Juveniles: Effects on Delinquency.
This report also was recently announced on The Campbell Collaboration website under the article title, "Does Formal Processing Reduce Juvenile Delinquency?"DistrictsMovingUp Efforts Show Promising Results
Foundation's Project Offers Hope for Schools Reform
Stephen D. Mittenthal, Executive Director of the Ellis Center for Educational Excellence, penned a column in the Arizona Republic, describing the successful reform efforts of the Creighton Elementary School District. Creighton is an inner-city Phoenix district with the majority of its students from low-income families. The Creighton Partnership is funded by the Ellis Center for Educational Excellence, a Phoenix-based philanthropy. The partnership is designed to provide research-based technical assistance, build capacity, and improve student achievement. Staff from WestEd's DistrictsMovingUp services lead the effort.
California Healthy Kids Survey Results Prompt County to Take Action
City Council to Consider Social Host Ordinance: Local Coalition Proposes Ordinance to Deter Underage Drinking
In an attempt to deter underage drinking by holding those individuals who permit it responsible, the West County (CA) Coalition for Alcohol and Drug-Free Youth Coalition presented a proposed Social Host ordinance to the Sebastopol City Council. Social Host ordinances enable law enforcement to cite the individual who hosted the party, or who owns or controls the land where parties occur and who failed to properly supervise or stop minors from obtaining, possessing, or consuming alcoholic beverages.
The results of WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey prompted the Coalition to take further action to deter underage drinking.WestEd's Gregory Austin and California State Schools Chief Present School Culture and Climate Resource
State Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Announces New Tool to Help Close the Achievement Gap by Improving School Culture and Climate
Gregory Austin, Director of WestEd's Health & Human Development Program, and California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell recently announced the availability of a new resource that recognizes the importance of creating a positive school environment. This environment is designed to support both students and teachers, particularly in closing the achievement gap and addressing the needs of special education and migrant education.
A collaboration between WestEd and the California Department of Education, the Workbook for Improving School Climate & Closing the Achievement Gap helps K-12 teachers and school leaders gain a deeper understanding of the data collected in state-sponsored school climate surveys to assess what is working and build on those strengths in the classroom, school, and district, as well as identify areas where improvements are needed.WestEd Workbook Helps Teachers and School Leaders Gain Better Understanding of School Survey Data
State Education Chief Targets Achievement Gap: New Workbooks for Teachers Part of Effort Announced at S.D. High
Gregory Austin, Director of WestEd's Health & Human Development Program, was quoted in a San Diego Union-Tribune article highlighting the Workbook for Improving School Climate & Closing the Achievement Gap. A collaboration between WestEd and the California Department of Education, this new resource helps K-12 teachers and school leaders gain a deeper understanding of the data collected in state-sponsored school climate surveys to assess what is working and build on those strengths in the classroom, school, and district, as well as identify areas where improvements are needed.
California Healthy Kids Survey Produces Teen Dating Violence Data
California Resolution Declares February 2010 First-Ever National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month
A resolution declaring February 2010 as "National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month" encourages all governmental organizations, private organizations, public officials, and California families to work together to raise awareness of teen dating violence.
The resolution is sponsored by the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence, the California statewide domestic violence coalition. The article cited WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey, which shows that 7 percent of 11th grade students in California said they were victims of teen dating violence in the past 12 months.Education Week Notes WestEd's REL West Report on School-Site Administrators
School Administrators
Education Week noted WestEd's recent publication, School Administrators: A California County and Regional Perspective on Labor Market Trends, in its February 24th issue.
Based on a study conducted by Regional Educational Laboratory West (REL West) for the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, the report reveals that some California counties will need to replace as much as 71 percent of their school-site administrator workforce in the coming decade, while others face only a 9 percent replacement rate. The highest needs are projected to occur in the Central Valley and inland Southern California regions of the state, areas where many counties are characterized by high levels of poverty. The report's release was also covered in The Bakersfield Californian on February 19th.Language Magazine Features an Interview With WestEd's Aida Walqui, Plus Excerpts From Her New Book
Scaffolding Success — Five Principles for Succeeding With English Learners: An Interview With Aida Walqui
An interview with Aida Walqui, WestEd's Director of Quality Teaching for English Learners (QTEL), is featured in the latest issue of Language Magazine. In addition, excerpts from Walqui's latest book, Scaffolding the Academic Success of English Language Learners: A Pedagogy of Promise, are highlighted in the article.
Download the full article.Scaffolding the Academic Success also was featured in Mary Ann Zeher's Education Week blog, Learning the Language. In the February 23, 2010, post, titled, "Resource: How Content Teachers Can Teach Language," Zeher wrote:
"What always stands out for me in listening to or reading about Walqui's recommendations for ELL [English language learner] instruction is that ELLs need plenty of opportunity to talk about what they are learning. She's an advocate of helping students to develop strong oral-language skills in the subjects they are studying, something that is getting more attention in the field these days."
Students Quiz Candidates for State Superintendent at UC Davis Forum
California Superintendent for Public Instruction Candidates Forum at UC Davis
At a March 15th, 2010, public forum held at the University of California (UC), Davis, candidates for California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Larry Aceves, Diane Lenning, and Tom Torlakson took questions from public school students on issues relevant to oversight of the state’s public school system.
Five elementary and high school students from Davis, Esparto, West Sacramento, and Woodland questioned candidates on topics such as diversity, teacher retention, challenging course content, and access to healthy food in the public school system.
The event was co-hosted by the UC Davis School of Education and Yolo County School Boards Association. UC Davis School of Education Dean Harold Levine, who is also a member of the WestEd Board of Directors, noted that having students question the candidates was important because "the job of state superintendent is to serve students. We wanted to be sure that real students’ concerns and hopes were front and center in the discussion.”
WestEd and School Services of California sponsored the event, along with various union, business, parent, and teacher groups.
Education Week Features a Commentary on Assessment by WestEd's Stanley Rabinowitz
Next-Generation Assessment Systems
Education Week's commentary section features an essay by Stanley Rabinowitz, WestEd's Director of Assessment & Standards Development Services. In the commentary, Rabinowitz presents an overview of key concepts that states should consider as they move forward in rethinking their current student-assessment programs, a series of questions designed to candidly address perceived barriers to assessment reform, and a list of steps states should take as they begin this important endeavor.
WestEd's Healthy Kids Survey Results Cited in Community Improvement Group Meeting
Medical Marijuana Concerns Citizens: Police Tell Group of Legalization's Unintended Consequences
Guest speakers at a meeting of the community improvement group, Community Alliance for Escondido (CA), cited results of a 2007 WestEd Healthy Kids Survey, taken by Escondido high school juniors. Lt. Craig Carter of the Escondido Police Department and drug prevention specialist Mary Anne Dijak of Mental Health Systems, Inc., described the dangers and problems caused by the legalization of medical marijuana.
According to the Healthy Kids Survey, 34 percent of students said they have used marijuana in their lifetime and 15 percent said they used it in the last 30 days.
The Healthy Kids Survey was also cited in "Binge Drinking Found Higher in Sonoma County than State," published in The Press Democrat (February 19, 2010); and in "LBHS Crackdown on Alcohol Pays Off," published in the Laguna Beach Independent (February 19, 2010).WestEd's Research on Small Class Size Cited
Letters: Reducing Class Sizes May Be Better Than Pre-K
In a letter published in Postcrescent.com, a reader cited a WestEd study showing substantial research that proves that "bringing class size down in the primary grades in and of itself has positive effects on student achievement in all subject areas."
The reader, identified as an early childhood educator and parent, was responding to whether the Appleton (WI) Area School District should implement a pre-K program. The reader cited additional WestEd research, which found that small classes allow for more interaction between teachers and individual students and that the greater the class size beyond 17, the less the likelihood the outcomes will be as positive.
Palo Alto High School Principal Cites WestEd as Source of Education Research
School Matters: Q&A With Outgoing Paly Principal
Jacqueline McEvoy, who is resigning at the end of her third year as principal of Palo Alto (CA) High School, cited WestEd as a source of public education research. In a Palo Alto Daily News interview, McEvoy said, "There's a part of me that wants to stay in public education, maybe supporting principals. There's so much going on in research, whether it's the Gates Foundation or WestEd."
Workbook for Improving School Climate & Closing the Achievement Gap: Helping to Improve Student Achievement in California
New Tools Introduced To Help Pinpoint "Racial" Achievement Gap
KPBS reported on the recently published Workbook for Improving School Climate & Closing the Achievement Gap, developed by WestEd and the California Department of Education.
"This new resource will help to close the achievement gap by improving both the culture and the climate of teaching and learning," said Jack O'Connell, California State Schools Superintendent. "It will give our schools more information about the challenges they have and about the conditions of their schools."Paul Koehler Quoted in Arizona Republic Article on K-12 Teacher Training
ASU Plans Big Change in Teacher Training
WestEd's Paul Koehler was quoted in an Arizona Republic article focusing on Arizona State University's (ASU's) training program for K-12 educators. The university will require students to take more courses in subjects they will teach and fewer on how to teach and understand children. ASU also will try to improve the quality of its students by incorporating some of the ways the national nonprofit Teach for America recruits and trains its corps members.
"What ASU is going to do is pretty profound," said Koehler, who also was quoted on the same topic in the blog, ABC News, Campus Chatter ("A 'Bold Move': New Lessons for Aspiring Teachers," posted February 19, 2010).
Martin Orland Co-Authors Education Week Commentary on School Improvement Data
Data Rich But Information Poor
Martin Orland, WestEd's Director of Evaluation and Policy Research, recently co-authored a commentary in Education Week.
In "Data Rich But Information Poor," Orland and William J. Slotnik of the Community Training and Assistance Center in Boston address plans by the U.S. Department of Education to give states $250 million in federal stimulus funds to further improve their data systems, plus an additional $350 million to improve the quality of their tests.
Orland and Slotnik argue that improving schools requires not just generating more and better data, but converting data into useful information that can shape actions and decisions.
Stanley Rabinowitz Lends Expertise to Development of Colorado's K-12 Standards
Commissioner Dwight D. Jones: Colorado Leads National Discussion On Standards
Colorado Commissioner of Education Dwight D. Jones believes his state's recently revised K-12 standards set rigorous expectations that match or exceed national expectations in every instance. "We are fortunate that Colorado started this work more than two years ago and we were equally privileged to have been guided in this process by Dr. Stanley Rabinowitz, a national expert who was also instrumental in creating the common core standards released today," said Commissioner Jones. "Dr. Rabinowitz encouraged us to aim high and we did, which our new standards demonstrate."
Rabinowitz, Director of WestEd's Assessment and Standards Development Services program, consults extensively with policymakers and assessment staff at the national, regional, and state levels.
The Colorado Department of Education was one of a handful of states invited to review and provide input during the early development of what was released on March 10, 2010, as part of the common core initiative. The national, common core standards detail what public school students should learn in math and English only, year by year from kindergarten through high school. Colorado's revised academic standards include 13 subjects and also articulate grade-by-grade expectations, beginning in preschool.
Cathy Carroll and Judith Mumme Receive Award for Outstanding Journal of Teacher Education Article
Outstanding Journal of Teacher Education Article
WestEd's Cathy Carroll and Judith Mumme, along with fellow coauthors, received the 2010 award for Outstanding Journal of Teacher Education Article, presented by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. This award recognizes exemplary scholarship in the areas of teacher education or of teaching and learning with implications for teacher education.
Carroll, Mumme, and staff at Oregon State University and the University of Washington cowrote the award-winning Journal of Teacher Education article examining the quality of teachers' professional development for mathematics education. The article, published in September/October 2009, is based on the authors' research on how leaders learn to cultivate mathematically rich professional development environments. According to the authors, professional development leaders in mathematics need to cultivate sociomathematical norms for teacher explanation and employ practices to orchestrate discussions on developing teachers' specialized knowledge of mathematics education.
Mumme and Carroll facilitate WestEd's Learning to Lead Mathematics K-12 Professional Development Institutes, which develop the skills, sensibilities, and long-term capacities of leaders working with teachers at any grade, K-12. In addition, Mumme and Carroll authored Learning to Lead Mathematics Professional Development, ideal for those charged with supporting teacher leaders and others who lead mathematics professional development.
WestEd's Anthony Petrosino Co-Writes Article for The Southwest Journal of Criminal Justice
The Role of the Family in Crime and Delinquency: Evidence From Prior Quantitative Reviews
WestEd's Anthony Petrosino co-wrote an article on crime and delinquency, published in The Southwest Journal of Criminal Justice. The article, "The Role of the Family in Crime and Delinquency: Evidence From Prior Quantitative Reviews," provides:
- information about the size and consistency of the correlation between family factors and crime, as well as some sense of its relative importance compared to other measured predictors, and
- the size and consistency of effects for programs that focus on family factors, and some sense of the relative importance compared to other intervention effects.
WestEd's Laurie Maak Co-Writes Web Dialogue Article Published in the National Civic Review
Listening to Democracy's Next Generation: Using Web Dialogue to Connect Lawmakers and Students
In an article published in the National Civic Review, Laurie Maak of WestEd, Kristen Amundson, and Kely Sharbel describe web dialogues, discuss lessons learned, and outline plans to expand web dialogues to enable legislators nationwide to listen to the next generation.
Download the article (PDF).WestEd's Edys Quellmalz Quoted in Harvard Graduate School of Education's Newsletter
Online Testing, Version 1.0
Edys Quellmalz, Director of WestEd's Technology Enhanced Assessments and Learning Systems, was interviewed for a Harvard Education Letter article on computer-based assessments. In the Harvard Graduate School of Education's newsletter, Quellmalz said that computer-based testing can benefit students who are traditionally low performing, as well as students with disabilities and English language learners.
Stanley N. Rabinowitz, Director of WestEd's Assessment and Standards Development Services Program, Interviewed
Computerized State Assessments to Save Time, Money
In a Wichita Eagle article on computerized assessments in the state of Kansas, WestEd's Stanley N. Rabinowitz noted that more access to computers at school is making the playing field fairer for students of low-income families. The question, according to Rabinowitz, is not if, but when all states will switch to a computerized form for state assessments.
WestEd's Stanley N. Rabinowitz Quoted in Education Week Article
States Rush to Join Testing Consortia: Many Sign On to Boost Chances for Race to the Top Funding
WestEd's Stanley N. Rabinowitz, Director of Assessment & Standards Development Services, was quoted in a recent Education Week article about states signing up with different consortia to receive Race to the Top funding.
The U.S. Department of Education is expected to release its application notice for $350 million in assessment funding for schools, which is being provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. States are facing several challenges, including conflicting goals, delicate political questions about curricula, procurement and implementation, and aligning with the most balanced and effective consortia.Research by WestEd's Ken Futernick Cited in Article on Effective Teachers
What Keeps Effective Teachers in the Classroom: Teachers Network Survey Reveals What It Will Really Take to Make Sure Every Child Has an Effective Teacher
Research findings evaluated and written by the Center for Teaching Quality (CTQ) in a final report buttressed research work by WestEd's Ken Futernick. The CTQ report, A Better System for Schools: Developing, Supporting, and Retaining Effective Teachers, explores what it really takes to develop, support, and retain effective teachers.
WestEd's BethAnn Berliner and Vanessa Barrat Featured in Dropout Articles
Help Dropouts Who Reenroll Avoid Revolving School Door Address Credit Recovery, Attendance Issues
WestEd's BethAnn Berliner and Vanessa Barrat were featured in two separate articles in Today's School Psychologist. Berliner and Barrat coauthored, with Anthony Fong and Paul Shirk, Reenrollment of High School Dropouts in a Large, Urban School District, a study prepared by WestEd's Regional Educational Laboratory West.
In the first article, Berliner commented on the lack of research on dropouts who reenroll, also known as "revolving door students." The article notes that Berliner presented on this topic at a recent SchoolsMovingUp webinar. An archive of that webinar is available.
The second article, focusing on how to retain dropouts once they reenroll, quotes both Berliner and Barrat. "There needs to be a system of support so students can get on track to graduate when they fall off track," Berliner said. Four tips are given to help address the exceptional challenges facing these students.WestEd's Sharon Tucker Quoted in National Newsletter Article on Integrating Title I and III Improvement Plans
Align Plans to Leverage Titles I and III Resources
WestEd's Sharon Tucker was quoted in an article about district reform through program collaboration. In the No Child Left Behind Compliance Insider article, Tucker cited work of the Title I District Assistance and Intervention Team and the Title III Year 4 Planning Team. These teams help California school district and building administrators improve services for underperforming students. Tucker and Zoe Ann Brown, both with WestEd's California Comprehensive Center, are key team members.
The planning teams presented their work in January 2010 at the National Title I conference in Washington, DC. The presentation was made by Tucker and Brown, Laura Wagner of the California Department of Education, Karin Matray from Red Bluff Union Elementary School District, and Sarah Kania from Tahema County Office of Education.WestEd Co-Sponsors Public Forum on State Superintendent of Public Instruction Candidates
Local Students to Grill Candidates for State Superintendent
Elementary and high school students from Davis, West Sacramento, Woodland, and Esparto questioned candidates for State Superintendent of Public Instruction during a public forum at the University of California, Davis. The candidates are running to succeed Jack O'Connell, who will be termed out of the office. WestEd and School Services of California were major sponsors of this public event.
California Healthy Kids Survey Cited Extensively in Media Outlets
WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) recently has been referenced in a variety of media outlets. Alcohol and other drug use data from this California Department of Education-funded survey has been cited in the Daily Pilot, Santa Cruz Sentinel, and two blogs — Healthline and Fight Hangovers.
CHKS is a comprehensive, youth risk behavior and resilience data collection service available to all California local education agencies. It is also available to states outside California. CHKS provides local schools and communities with data to identify the needs of youth (grades 5 and above) and to guide efforts to meet those needs.
WestEd's K-12 Alliance Co-Sponsors Disney Planet Challenge
Students Learn by Scrapbooking
Students at Poland North Elementary School in Poland, Ohio, completed a recycling-themed scrapbook as part of the Disney Planet Challenge contest, designed to teach students about science, teamwork, and conservation. The contest was developed by the Walt Disney Company in collaboration with the National Science Teachers Association and WestEd's K-12 Alliance.
Anthony Petrosino and Claire Morgan Quoted in the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation's 2010 Annual Report
WestEd's Anthony Petrosino and Claire Morgan were quoted in Building on What Works, the 2010 Annual Report of the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie). 3ie seeks to improve the lives of poor people in low- and middle-income countries by providing, and summarizing, evidence of what works, when, why, and for how much.
In the 3ie Annual Report, Petrosino and Morgan, along with Robert F. Boruch from the University of Pennsylvania, cite the importance of 3ie Synthetic Review grants in providing opportunities for important research to be conducted. This research will inform policy decisions by developing nations and guide investment decisions by international donor organizations.WestEd's Cynthia Greenleaf and Anthony Petrosino's "Letter to the Editor" Published in Reading Research Quarterly
Response to Slavin, Cheung, Groff, and Lake (2008): Effective Reading Programs for Middle and High Schools: A Best-Evidence Synthesis
WestEd's Cynthia Greenleaf and Anthony Petrosino wrote a "Letter to the Editor," published in the International Reading Association's Reading Research Quarterly. The letter pointed out some of the strengths of "Effective Reading Programs for Middle and High Schools: A Best-Evidence Synthesis," published in the summer 2008 issue of Reading Research Quarterly.
In their letter, Greenleaf and Petrosino also raised questions about the logic of the synthesis approach and the conclusions drawn in the article, thereby opening up a broader discussion in the field.J. Ronald Lally's Article on Infant/Toddler Care Cited in ZERO TO THREE Insider
ZERO TO THREE Journal Article
In an article published in the November 2009 issue of ZERO TO THREE Insider journal, J. Ronald Lally, Co-Director of WestEd's Center for Child & Family Studies and ZERO TO THREE board member, explores recent research on how infants and toddlers grow and learn. Lally's research has provided compelling evidence for child care practices that support healthy development.
The article describes six approaches to care that support optimal development: helping infants form secure attachments; supporting positive identity formation; incorporating family practices; accommodating developmental differences; engaging in responsive caregiving; and using reflective curriculum planning.WestEd Named as One of the Best Places to Work in the Bay Area
Best Places to Work in Bay Area 2010
WestEd has been recognized as one of the Best Places to Work in the San Francisco Bay Area, a competition sponsored by the San Francisco, East Bay, Silicon Valley, and San Jose Business Journals. This is the 5th time that WestEd has been so designated.
The award — based largely on anonymous employee surveys measuring company policies, procedures, culture, and management practices — recognizes companies that attract, retain, and foster growth in their workforces.
WestEd won this competition in past years because our staff reported on the agency's:"WestEd is truly mission-driven, and the passion for that mission permeates our agency, from the work we do to the way we do the work," says Brian Williams, WestEd's Human Resources Manager. "Receiving this honor is inspiring and demonstrates our staff's commitment and collaboration."
- Commitment to making a difference for kids, families, and communities
- Reputation for excellence and high quality, which we have all helped to create
- Good employee benefits compared to many other organizations
WestEd Cited in Article on Possible New Preschool Rating System
State Looking to Rate California's Preschools
In a Pasadena Star-News article, WestEd was cited as an agency that uses a preschool rating system in California. The state may implement a new preschool rating system that would boost accountability, encourage higher quality programs, and help parents make more informed decisions. The new system could start as soon as July 2011.
WestEd's Robert Linquanti, Expert on English Language Learners, Quoted in Education Week
States' Ability to Evaluate ELL Programs Questioned: Obama's ESEA Proposal Asks States to Gauge Strategies' Effectiveness
Robert Linquanti, WestEd Project Director and Senior Research Associate, was interviewed for an Education Week article on states' ability to evaluate English learner programs.
In its blueprint for reauthorization of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the Obama administration proposes requiring states to implement an evaluation system on the effectiveness of English learner programs. The Working Group on ELL Policy, of which Linquanti is a member, detailed what they think English learner provisions should look like in the next version of ESEA. For example, the group recommends that the federal government change the ELL category so that such students remain in it for accountability purposes after they leave special English learner programs.
"It's to give educators credit for the success they've had," says Linquanti. "Also, these students have ongoing academic needs, and that can get lost because a lot of people figure, once they are exited from being ELLs, they are just fine."J. Ronald Lally, Co-Director of WestEd's Center for Child & Family Studies, Quoted in The Oregonian
Kids' Care Is Good, But Not Enough
In an article published in The Oregonian, J. Ronald Lally, an expert on early childhood development and Co-Director of WestEd's Center for Child & Family Studies, described how a child's relationship with adults in the first years of life can shape social and emotional health crucial to school success.
"Children are wired to learn from the day-to-day interactions that they have with principal caregivers," Lally says. "It is the social exchanges children have with people who care for them that create the base for learning."
The article described a new report on Oregon's promising programs to support the social and emotional health of infants and toddlers. However, those efforts reach only a fraction of the kids who need them, according to the report.WestEd's Paul Koehler Comments on Poor Scores in Arizona Schools
Arizona Schools Score Poorly on Reading Tests
Arizona's eighth graders remain four points behind the national average on reading tests, placing the state 41st among states and the District of Columbia. Paul Koehler, Director of the Policy Center at WestEd, commented: "The needles haven't moved for the 'No Child' generation. It looks as if it has been a non-factor in this."
Koehler went on to suggest that Arizona should be looking hard at Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS), an annual state test that nearly 70 percent of third graders are able to pass. "One of the policy issues this state is going to have to confront is: How can there be a difference this big in the AIMS results and National Assessment of Educational Progress results?"WestEd Needs Assessment Report Cited in Article About California Adult Schools
California Adult Schools Unite to Survive Economic Crisis
Adult Education in California: Strategic Planning Process Needs Assessment, a 2009 report prepared by WestEd for the California Department of Education, was cited in a Business Wire article about California adult schools.
The report, written by Svetlana Darche of WestEd, Nara Nayar, and Paul Downs, says California adult schools are well-positioned to address the three driving forces in the state: economy, educational attainment, and population.WestEd Policy Brief Used to Prove Benefits of Full-Day Kindergarten
Fees Proposed for Full-Day Kindergarten
Flagstaff Unified School District may return to a tuition-based full-day kindergarten after state lawmakers repealed funding for the program starting next school year. The article mentions WestEd's Policy Brief, Full-Day Kindergarten: Expanding Learning Opportunities, which illustrates the positive impacts full-day kindergarten has on children's academic, social, and emotional development.
WestEd Mentioned as Member of National Educational Review Board
Reardon Named Panelist for National Educational Review Board
This article mentions the Content Alignment Studies of the 2010 National Assessment of Educational Progress, organized by WestEd and the National Assessment Governing Board, which make reading and mathematics college readiness assessment standards recommendations to the U.S. Department of Education.
A national review board of teachers, scholars, and administrators met with WestEd and National Assessment of Educational Progress officials in Washington, DC, recently to review data, discuss and write standards for college readiness, and provide formal recommendations to the Department of Education. The review board's discussions are disseminated to the SAT, the ACT, state departments of education, and other college placement organizations.National Council of La Raza Report Cites WestEd as Helping to Develop California's Early Learning Guidelines
Responding to the Needs of Young Latino Children: State Efforts to Build Comprehensive Early Learning Systems
In a section on English language learners, this white paper states that the California Department of Education contracted with WestEd to develop the state's early learning guidelines. In turn, WestEd worked with expert researchers to develop drafts of the Foundations in English-Language Development, which are designed to help classroom teachers in their understanding of children's progress toward English language proficiency.
Maine Department of Education Hires WestEd to Write Race for America Application
Seeking Input on Application for Federal Ed Funds
The Maine Department of Education has hired WestEd, using a grant from the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, to assist in the development and writing of its Race to the Top application. WestEd also helped facilitate discussion at five regional meetings.
WestEd Staff Provide Expert Advice on English Learners to Key National Policymakers
WestEd researchers Robert Linquanti, Stanley Rabinowitz, and Edynn Sato recently hosted briefings for U.S. House, U.S. Senate and White House staff on the implications of assessment and accountability of English language learners in light of current hearings on the reauthorization of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
Capitol Hill and Administration policymakers expressed appreciation for the WestEd personnel's research-based information about changing the law's provisions for assessing English learners' achievements in language acquisition and content comprehension.WestEd Hosts California Mayors Graduation Summit
Nationwide, nearly one in three U.S. high school students fails to graduate. The problem is even more severe among minority students. For California, this means many thousands of young people every year are not ready to support themselves economically or further their education.
On April 29, WestEd will convene the California Mayors Graduation Summit as part of the national movement supported by the America's Promise Alliance, AT&T, and State Farm Insurance Company, along with the James Irvine Foundation.
The summit aims to build a sense of urgency regarding the school dropout crisis, consider best practices to increase graduation rates, and secure commitment to action from community leaders. Mayors have invited key education stakeholders, including district superintendents, legislators and elected officials, and business and civic leaders to participate in this summit and help build a formal action plan for reducing the dropout rate in California. (Registration for this event has closed.)WestEd California Healthy Kids Survey Cited in Multiple Articles
WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey recently was cited in multiple articles about underage drinking and substance use:
Reading Apprenticeship® Model Makes Winners in Michigan
Michigan Association of School Boards' Education Excellence Award
Washtenaw and Livingston Counties in Michigan, using WestEd's Reading Apprenticeship as a model for secondary literacy reform, are 2009 winners of the Michigan Association of School Boards' Education Excellence Award. This honor recognizes original, innovative programs that positively affect student achievement in local and intermediate school districts.
WestEd's Cynthia Greenleaf Co-Authors Article Published in Science
Literacy and Science: Each in the Service of the Other
WestEd's Cynthia Greenleaf recently co-authored an article in Science, one of the world's leading journals of original scientific research, global news, and commentary. Greenleaf, Co-Director of WestEd's Strategic Literacy Initiative, authored the article with colleagues P. David Pearson of the University of California, Berkeley, and Elizabeth Moje of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
The article, "Literacy and Science: Each in the Service of the Other", explores how students simultaneously learn how to read and write science texts and do science.
Greenleaf will present on the article topic at the upcoming International Reading Association in a session co-sponsored by the Literacy Research Association conference.
WestEd Surveys Featured in NBC's Education Nation
NBC News is broadcasting Education Nation this week, and WestEd is being featured.
The weeklong series highlights challenges and opportunities in education today. WestEd's California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) and the California School Climate Survey (CSCS) are being featured as leading examples of collecting and using student and staff data to help improve education.
Education Nation this includes a Learning Pavilion built in Rockefeller Plaza in New York City. The five galleries in the plaza allow visitors to explore interactive exhibits.
Encouraging Coverage of "Math Wars"
Stories for K-12 Reporters
In a recent issue of its newsletter, Education Reporter, the Education Writers Association cites Steve Schneider of WestEd as a source for story ideas for K-12 reporters. Schneider, Director of the Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics program at WestEd, says education reporters should look more closely at the "math wars" that can occur as districts develop curricula or chose texts.
WestEd Cited in Front-Page New York Times Article About Common Core Standards
Many States Adopt National Standards for Their Schools
WestEd's recent work in comparing the proposed common core academic standards to existing Massachusetts state education standards was cited in a front-page article in the New York Times.
Twenty-seven states have announced that they will adopt the common core standards. Another dozen states are expected to announce their support soon.
Existing Massachusetts state standards have been widely regarded as some of the best in the nation. Adopting common core standards has been a contentious topic in the state. The Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education, a consortium that has been instrumental in state education reform, commissioned WestEd to compare state standards to the common core standards. That comparison was released on July 19, and the report is cited in the New York Times article.Five States Tour Quality Teaching for English Learners Project in Austin, TX
Policymakers Take Gates-Funded Trip to Study ELLs
Recently, influential education professionals from Illinois, Kentucky, Nebraska, New Hampshire, and Virginia toured Austin, TX schools that are using Quality Teaching for English Learners (QTEL) professional development methods. Aida Walqui, Director of the Teacher Professional Development Program at WestEd, leads the QTEL project.
The fact-finding visit focused on the implementation of QTEL in two Austin high schools. Since implementation, test scores are up for all students in the two schools, with English language learners seeing the greatest increase.
Findings from the trip are published in a policy brief by The American Youth Policy Forum.
New Research Supports Results of Reading Apprenticeship®
Reports Offer Good News on Adolescent Reading Front
A study by MDRC and the American Institutes for Research shows that the WestEd Reading Apprenticeship program has "potentially positive effects" on improving students' reading comprehension.
The study involved 2,000 9th graders in 17 high schools across 10 districts throughout the country, and met the standards of evidence necessary to be posted on the What Works Clearinghouse website from the U.S. Department of Education.
Cynthia Greenleaf directs the Strategic Literacy Initiative at WestEd, which developed the Reading Apprenticeship instructional approach.
