December 26, 2024
As 2024 comes to a close, it’s time to reflect on a year of transformative conversations and actionable insights aimed at fostering thriving learners and empowered communities. In this wrap-up, we highlight the most impactful episodes from WestEd’s Leading Voices and Budgeting for Educational Equity podcasts and spotlight guest appearances by WestEd experts across the education podcast landscape.
Use this list to revisit this year’s most powerful discussions or uncover fresh ideas to drive meaningful change and inspire new work in 2025.
WestEd’s Leading Voices Podcast
In 2024, the Leading Voices podcast series continued to shine a light on some of the most critical challenges and innovative practices shaping education and human development today.
If you missed any of these compelling 2024 episodes, you can catch up at the links below. Be sure to subscribe to the Leading Voices podcast to stay informed on the latest trends and evidence-based approaches driving meaningful change in education and beyond.
- Helping State Agencies Build and Modernize Integrated Data Systems: Baron Rodriguez and Sean Cottrell discuss the critical role of integrated data systems in addressing the needs of students, families, and communities, particularly in the post-COVID era.
- Accelerating Literacy Learning With Reading Apprenticeship: Linda Friedrich and Cynthia Greenleaf explore how WestEd’s Reading Apprenticeship improves academic literacy, accelerates learning after the pandemic, and addresses evolving challenges like digital literacy and AI in education.
- The Critical Role of Early Intervention: Angela McGuire highlights the vital role of early intervention for young children with disabilities, exploring workforce development, family–professional relationships, and state support for intervention professionals.
- Cultivating Belonging, Inclusive Spaces, and Reflective Practices: Monica Mathur-Kalluri explores the importance of reflective practice spaces for Black, Indigenous, and people of color practitioners in early childhood settings, addressing burnout, fostering inclusion, and creating supportive environments for sustainable care.
- Preventing Gun Violence in the United States: Lori Toscano, Shaun Ali, and Kerwin Henderson discuss the factors contributing to gun violence and strategies for prevention, emphasizing data-driven approaches; community collaboration; and the promotion of equity for safer, more equitable futures.
- Early Signs of Distress: Identifying and Implementing Systemic Improvements: Aimee Evan and state education agency leaders, John Carwell and David Frank, share insights about WestEd’s Indicators of Distress approach, which helps identify early signs of school challenges using data-driven strategies to support school improvement in Delaware and New York.
WestEd’s Budgeting for Educational Equity Podcast
Hosted by Jason Willis, Director of Strategic Resource Planning and Implementation for WestEd, the Budgeting for Educational Equity podcast series shines a spotlight on innovative approaches and critical discussions aimed at ensuring every student in California’s public education system receives fair and equitable resources.
- Meeting the Needs of All Students: How Can Educators, Leaders, and Education Systems Better Attend to the Intersection of Language and Disability for Multilingual Learners: This episode highlights the need for schools and education systems to address the intersection of language and disability for multilingual learners.
- What You Need to Know About California’s New Equity Multiplier—and Related School Accountability System Changes: Learn about the Equity Multiplier, a groundbreaking addition to California’s Local Control Funding Formula, and how it connects with changes to the state’s school accountability system.
- School Closures and Consolidations in California: Deepening Our Understanding: In this episode, host Jason Willis sits down with school finance and policy expert Carrie Hahnel to discuss the factors driving school closures and consolidations in California, with a focus on their disproportionate impact on different student populations.
WestEd Experts’ Guest Appearances
WestEd experts regularly appeared on podcasts as guests. Below, you’ll find a selection of WestEd voices speaking on topics ranging from important developments in EdTech to social and cultural issues, such as substance abuse.
- The Rachael Maves Podcast, featuring Jannelle Kubinec: Rachael Maves, Chief of Education and Policy at Parsec Education, interviews Jannelle Kubinec, CEO of WestEd, about what it means to be a leader shaping the future of education.
- Conversations With Multilingual Educators, featuring Jannelle Kubinec: Justin Hewett and Mandi Morris engage in conversation with Jannelle Kubinec, CEO of WestEd, about her transformative work in shaping California’s K–12 funding and accountability systems and her bold vision for empowering teachers, embracing joyful learning environments, and driving change through research-based practices.
- Prevention Matters Podcast, featuring Anthony Petrosino: Robert LaChausse talks with Anthony Petrosino, Director of the Justice and Prevention Research Center at WestEd, about his career in violence prevention, the effectiveness of Scared Straight programs, and strategies for preventing youth violence.
- Substance Use, Criminal Justice, & Public Health Advocacy on Capitol Hill: Part One of the Story of the Opioid Epidemic, Public Health Insight Podcast: Jennifer Loeffler-Cobia, Director of Justice and Public Health Policy and Practice at WestEd, discusses her journey in public health and criminal justice and her advocacy for policy change and shares personal insights.
- The Three Waves: OxyContin, Heroin, & Fentanyl: Part Two of the Story of the Opioid Epidemic: Jennifer Loeffler-Cobia discusses the three waves of the modern opioid crisis, tracing its history from early opium use to the rise of fentanyl and the role of illicit markets in the ongoing overdose crisis.
- Policies Gone Wrong & The Power of Systems Thinking: Part Three of the Story of the Opioid Epidemic: Jennifer Loeffler-Cobia discusses the opioid crisis, highlighting the impact of evolving policies, stigma, and the importance of a systems thinking approach while sharing her personal motivation for addressing this public health challenge.
- Sights on EdTech, featuring Jessica Triant and Tanner Higgin: WestEd’s Tanner Higgin and Jessica Triant discuss the importance of evidence-based design and formative research in creating effective EdTech tools, emphasizing the need for strong partnerships between researchers, developers, and educators.
- Math Ed Podcast: Teacher Care Online and AI Tools for Teachers, featuring Drew Nucci: Drew Nucci from WestEd discusses his article on the role of online learning environments in supporting secondary mathematics students, along with Colleague.AI, a curriculum and assessment tool for teachers.
- The Corner CAFE Podcast: APTT: WestEd experts Faith Burtamekh and Maria Paredes discuss the strategies behind Academic Parent Teacher Teams (APTT), focusing on data-driven family engagement and personalized learning.
Exciting Podcasts Coming in 2025
As we look ahead to 2025, WestEd remains committed to bringing you thought-provoking discussions and actionable insights that drive meaningful change in education and empower communities to thrive. Upcoming podcasts will explore how to
- identify and address inequities and their root causes,
- use Universal Design for Learning in the classroom and beyond,
- supporting early care in rural and Indigenous communities, and
- improve mathematics instruction with Math Pathways & Pitfalls.
Thank you for joining us on this journey!
