Overview
We believe professional learning is a key lever for leaders to foster high-quality teaching and learning and build safe and supportive school environments. Our approach focuses on maximizing time, tools, processes, and facilitation skills to support leaders in executing their school vision. Our partners value our tailored and job-embedded approach to professional learning design, which ensures content relevancy and application through convenient adult learning experiences.
WestEd provides services for leaders at all levels of the system—School, LEA, and SEA—to expand their leadership knowledge and skills through different formats. Our services provide networked, high-quality professional learning to current and future school- and system-level leaders and administrators in public systems to positively affect teaching and learning.
Throughout our work we conduct rigorous research and evaluation to test and develop innovations in educational leadership.
It is difficult to envision an investment in K–12 education with a higher ceiling on its potential return than improving school leadership.
— Grissom, Jason A., Anna J. Egalite, and Constance A. Lindsay. 2021. “How Principals Affect Students and Schools: A Systematic Synthesis of Two Decades of Research.”
Subscribe to the E-Bulletin for regular updates on research, free resources, services, and job postings from WestEd.
Connect with us on social media, where we share valuable information every day to help you tackle real-world challenges.
Featured Experts
Ayele DodooAyele Dodoo is the Director of Educational Leadership and System Design. She focuses on growing the capacity of education leaders as the key lever for ensuring positive and equitable outcomes for students, educators, and communities. Dodoo leads a national team as they scale professional services that develop administrative efficacy.View Full Bio
Teresa AlonzoTeresa Alonzo is the Associate Director for School Networks. She partners with schools, districts, and local and state agencies to provide high-quality leadership professional development by translating the best leadership research into tools, processes, and practices that leaders use to manage change and improvement in their system.
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Matthew CliffordMatthew Clifford is the Director of Educational Leadership Research. He directs research studies on school-level leadership, particularly studies of leadership preparation, professional learning, and student equity and achievement. Clifford also leads principal professional development networks in Arizona and Tennessee and consults with states on education administrator workforce policies.View Full Bio
Priscilla RodriguezPriscilla Rodriguez, the Project Director of Educational Leadership, has over 15 years of experience applying systems-level thinking to scaling educational improvement efforts in schools. She provides instructional leadership professional development and coaching to systems leaders, principals, and instructional coaches.View Full Bio
Alicia BowmanAlicia Bowman is an Improvement Specialist with Educational Leadership and System Design. She supports educators at all levels of the system to achieve equitable outcomes for all students through coaching, professional learning, and technical assistance. Her expertise includes multiple areas of K–12 public education, including school leadership, systems change, and continuous improvement.View Full Bio
Prudence Harris-MintonPrudence Harris-Minton is a Professional Learning Designer and Coach with Educational Leadership and System Design. She collaborates with schools, school districts, and state education agencies to enhance leadership practices that directly impact student outcomes. She delivers tailored executive coaching and professional learning that cultivates effective, culturally responsive leaders.View Full Bio
Lauryn FullertonLauryn Fullerton serves as a Professional Learning Designer and Coach for Educational Leadership and System Design. She partners with school and district leaders to build their leadership capacity and improve student outcomes. Fullerton has experience providing professional development that helps improve student outcomes and creating leadership development pipelines.View Full Bio
Kandis KuklinskiKandis Kuklinski is a Project Manager with Education Leadership and Systems Design. She collaborates with school districts, charter management organizations, and state-level agencies. Her experience includes facilitating the successful delivery of high-quality, research-based statewide system of support services designed to raise student performance by increasing district-level capacity for exceptional teaching and learning.View Full Bio
Jack PhamJack Pham is a Program Assistant with Educational Leadership and System Design. He coordinates and supports the operational needs and quality assurance for projects and proposals. Pham also assists with the management and design of web-based professional development systems and structures.View Full Bio
What Our Clients Say
Our work with WestEd has resulted in increased efficacy for our principals, the growth of shared site leadership, and a focusing of instructional leadership priorities, even during this pandemic…This has served as a catapult for this year’s work!
— Norma Martinez, Superintendent, Centralia Elementary
The biggest difference we saw during our work with WestEd was a shift to a true mission focus as a school. Using more mission-driven language and shifting our school improvement plans to focus on our mission has made a huge shift in our culture.
— Lee Fleming, Head of School, Samueli Academy
I appreciate our work in creating an instructional vision to complement our vision, mission, values, and goals created within the last three years. This impacts the entire school community and is developing staff confidence in empowering student leaders to step up and build community within our school. This is a direct result of our work with WestEd and the leadership cohort last year.
— Fran Hansell, Principal, Cielo Vista Elementary School
Through our work with WestEd, our programs and initiatives now have clear outcomes at their center which address our students’ needs.
— Ricardo Lois, Principal, Gahr High School
WestEd Bulletin
Stay up to date with the latest WestEd news, events, research, and leading voices to support your commitment to improving learning, healthy development, and equity in schools and communities.
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WestEd Presenting at the 2024 Learning Forward Conference
Events / December 8, 2024
Join WestEd experts and education leaders as they present at Learning Forward’s 2024 Annual Conference, December 8–11, 2024, in Denver, California.
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Dr. Teresa Alonzo to Present at the CALSA Summer Institute 2024
Events / June 26, 2024
Dr. Teresa Alonzo, Associate Director of School Networks, Educational Leadership, and System Design, will moderate a panel discussion and facilitate a leadership workshop at the California Association of Latino Superintendents & Administrators (CALSA) Summer Institute 2024, held June 26-29 in San Diego, California.
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Arizona Supervisors of Principals' Academy (SOPA)
Events / July 1, 2024
Apply by July 1, 2024 to participate in SOPA, a seven-month professional learning program for principal supervisors in Arizona to grow their skills in coaching and performance evaluation.
