Learning Environments That Serve All Students
WestEd engages educators in authentic virtual and in-person learning to explore deeply personal and meaningful topics. Our work is not only based on theory, it is personal work that encourages self and community reflection.
Through this work together, we help you develop the knowledge and capacity retain an effective, culturally responsive, and racially and linguistically diverse educator workforce.
Our team provides expertise, technical assistance, and research to increase your use of policies and practices that transform learning environments to promote successful and equitable learning outcomes for each and every student.
Professional Learning to Improve Outcomes
Our team develops a wide range of services, including the following:
- Coaching and Professional Learning: Virtual and/or in-person training designed to build educators’ racial equity mindsets, skills, and data literacy
- Strategic Plan Development: Collaborating on developing long-and-short-term plans to build capacity around CRSE and equitable systems at the district level
- Root Cause Analysis: Reviewing on-site systems and teaching and leadership practices to promote academic and social growth
- Culturally Responsive and Sustaining Education Training: Virtual and/or in-person training designed for teachers, campus leaders, and district and state agency administrators
- District Equity teams and Taskforces: Providing support to teams around professional learning, communication, messaging, and implementation of CRSE and equitable systems
Professional Learning on Implicit Bias
Our professional learning sessions introduce the pervasive role that implicit bias plays in discriminatory hiring practices and disproportionate distribution of teachers of color in the educator workforce.
Participants will develop an understanding of how to address bias-based beliefs and reflect on implementing culturally responsive policies, procedures, and practices to redress bias that influence key decision points along the hiring continuum.
Outcomes of our work include:
- Deeper understanding of the core tensions educators experience when engaging in racial equity work.
- Self-awareness around implicit bias and other biased-based beliefs and how they contribute to racial inequities in the hiring process.
- Understanding of existing beliefs, beliefs, policies, procedures, and practices in the hiring practice contribute to racial inequities.
Success Stories
This is helping me to grow and think more deeply about identity, bias, culture, racism, and how my life, my learning, my experiences shape my responses, sometimes really reflecting white supremacy. It is making me more self-aware and pushes me to have more desire to learn. And to do something about changing policies, and practices that contribute to the inequities.
District Participant, Implicit Bias Training
As a school leader and participant in WestEd’s Implicit Bias cohort I was able to renew my commitment to Equity in Education as well as share my knowledge. These engaging and thought-provoking sessions allowed me to be vulnerable, and speak my truth in a psychologically safe space, while catapulting me to respond to the call of interrupting implicit bias in an effort to improve teaching and learning
environments for black and brown children. I look forward to continuing our partnership with WestEd in the future.Dr. Margaret J. Starkes, Pittsburgh Public School District
The WestEd team has gone out of their way to understand who we are as a district team and what the needs of our students and staff are related to the areas of work they are supporting us with. This priority has ensured that the services they provide are responsive to us and maximize staff capacity building and impact for students.
Stafford Boyd, Director of Secondary Education, Greater Albany Public Schools