Thriving Learners, Empowered Communities
WestEd envisions and is pursuing a future in which all learners have access to high-quality educational opportunities that position them for success and in which all communities are strong, safe spaces of self-determination and well-being.
Our staff partner with policymakers, district leaders, school leaders, communities, and others, providing a broad range of tailored services, including research and evaluation, professional learning, technical assistance, and policy guidance. We generate knowledge and apply evidence and expertise to improve policies, systems, and practices.
Our Values
Lead With Inquiry
We consistently ask questions, generate evidence, and learn from our research, one another, and our partners to guide decision-making.
We share our findings in ways that are useful and accessible to the field, to inform improvements in policy and practice.
Create Sustained Impact
We drive the highest impact for children, youth, and adults through sustainable and systemic change.
Creating equitable, lasting change for children, youth, families, and communities often requires changing the systems in which they operate and that affect them. Our approach to system change embraces complexity; invests in leadership for systems change; partners with those closest to the challenge; attends to context; addresses root causes through inquiry, iteration, and multifaceted solutions; and prioritizes alignment and coherence within and across sectors and institutions.
Focus on Access and Outcomes
We center equity in everything we do to improve learning and human development outcomes for all.
We are committed to meeting the needs of populations that traditionally have been underserved or unfairly treated. Our work addresses systemic inequities, elevates diverse voices, and ensures equitable access and outcomes for all.
Build Together
We collaborate and create responses with our teams, partners, educators, and communities. By building together we create effective, accessible, and engaging learning environments; systems that seamlessly support learning through strong leadership and responsive design; and insights gained from research and data to inform and improve practice.
Drive With Excellence and Integrity
We conduct high-quality, fair, impartial, and ethical work.
“The true power of WestEd lies in our shared purpose. As we collaborate and innovate, we are shaping the futures of children, adults, and communities by addressing the complex challenges facing education today.“
— Jannelle Kubinec
WestEd Chief Executive Officer
Agency at a Glance
Our Priorities
1. Unlock opportunity through effective, inclusive, and engaging learning experiences
Our priorities are laser-focused on creating, supporting, and transforming learning to support thriving learners and empowered communities.
We believe in the inherent curiosity that is hardwired into people. We seek to inspire, motivate, and sustain learning by promoting inclusive practices, promoting instructional approaches that engage and support success, and creating safe and supportive learning environments.
2. Connect and optimize educational systems
We believe that the best learning experiences are facilitated by strong leadership that supports a highly connected and coherent system for learning. We value partnerships that optimize systems around the learner, and we work to broker and facilitate decision-making and actions to seed success early and strengthen the coherence and alignment of systems that support learners.
3. Generate insights from research and data to inform and improve practice
We believe that research and data provide essential insights to guide approaches to learning. We work to generate new insights that remove barriers to learning, improve practice, provide information to inform decisions, create linkages that facilitate collaboration, and inform innovations in measurement to lead to better outcomes for everyone.
4. Shape the future of learning
We believe that learning and the systems that support learning are essential for the future economic success of people and society. We lead the way to identify and amplify innovations that enhance learning. We help to build tomorrow’s workforce. We are reimagining the educator experience to build vibrant and sustainable career paths.
History and Business Status
WestEd has worked for almost 60 years to improve learning and healthy development at all stages of life. Our work began in 1966 when Congress funded regional educational laboratories (RELs) across the country to “bridge the gap between research and practice” and find practical ways to improve the education of our nation’s children.
WestEd is a Joint Powers Agency governed by multiple states.
A nonpartisan, nonprofit research, development, and service agency, WestEd is tax exempt under Section 115(1) of the Internal Revenue Code. Because of this status, our work meets the giving guidelines of philanthropic organizations.