Narrator:
As WestEd commemorates 60 years of supporting thriving learners and empowered communities, we asked our staff and board members to reflect on our history and look ahead to our future. What is one thing about WestEd that you think people really should know?
Jason Snipes, Senior Research Scientist, WestEd:
I would really like people to know how important it is for the people who work at WestEd to do work that actually improves the lives of children and youth. I think that people sometimes see a study or an intervention that we’re trying to promote and they think about that as kind of the face of WestEd, but behind that are people who are spending their entire lives working to improve the lives of children, working to improve their academic success, working to improve their wellbeing. And sometimes, there’s this focus on test scores, which can seem pointless, but to the extent that that occurs, it’s because people connect that to that student’s success, wellbeing, how they feel about themselves, and having a future that will be fulfilling for that person.