Join WestEd at the 2026 National ESEA Conference

Join WestEd at the 2026 National ESEA Conference, February 10–12, 2026, at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Colorado, or online.

The theme of the conference is Cultivating Communities for Student Success.

Aligned with this conference theme, WestEd and copresenters from the Oregon Department of Education, Palo Alto Unified School District, Reading School District, Santa-Bonita School District, and schools across the country will lead workshops and lecture sessions that focus on key topics such as the following:

• Statewide supports for students in foster care
• Tribal history curricula
• Levers for accelerating and sustaining school improvement
• Coaching systems that drive teacher efficacy
• Discipline-specific writing for students
• Artificial intelligence
• ESL certification
• Professional learning communities

Add WestEd’s in-person and virtual sessions (see below) to your calendar, and visit our booths (#310 and #312) to meet our team and to learn about our resources, professional development opportunities, and research.

Tuesday, February 10, 2026 

Hybrid Workshop: From Pilot to Policy: Building Statewide Supports for Students in Foster Care 

Time: 10:30–11:30 a.m.  
Location: 502 
Presenters: Marlie Magill (Oregon Department of Education), Ryan Huynh (WestEd), and Mel Wylen (WestEd) 

Join leaders from the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) and WestEd in discussion about a recent legislatively designed initiative supporting students in foster care. This session will provide insight into Oregon House Bill 4084, which funded a pilot program for three public schools to bring an Education Navigator in to work directly with students in foster care. Leaders from ODE and WestEd will also provide insight into formative evaluation activities they carried out to understand changes in school activities and academic outcomes for participating students. Learn more about the pilot and the implementation stories of each participating school. This presentation will highlight the programmatic successes, challenges, and considerations for future state-level supports for students in foster care. 

Hybrid Workshop: Strengthening Communities With Tribal History/Shared History Curriculum 

Time: 12–1 p.m.  
Location: 502 
Presenters: Yesenia Ayala (WestEd) and April Chavez (WestEd) 

During this session, participants will gain an overview of the Tribal History/Shared History (TH/SH) Curriculum in Oregon. The workshop will highlight a key professional learning opportunity in the state: three professional learning modules developed by the Office of Indian Education in Oregon in partnership with Tribal educators and WestEd. These modules are designed to empower educators and site leaders in implementing the curriculum. Participants will engage with components of the modules through guided reflection, allowing them to make connections to their unique educational contexts. The workshop highlights the significance of incorporating TH/SH to honor the strengths and contributions of Native students while enhancing the learning experience for all. By embracing these inclusive practices, communities are empowered and strengthened. Participants will engage in small- and large-group discussions, allowing them to consider concrete ways to apply explored ideas to their contexts. 

Hybrid Workshop: Leading With Urgency: Five Levers to Accelerate and Sustain School Improvement 

Time: 12:15–1:15 p.m.  
Location: Mile High 1C 
Presenters: Terrence Hofer (WestEd) and Joe Sassone (WestEd) 

This session introduces Leading With Urgency: Five Levers for Effective School Improvement and Lasting Change, a practical framework grounded in research and designed for leaders of chronically underperforming schools. Building on WestEd’s Four Domains for Rapid School Improvement, the Five Levers of (a) relational trust, (b) strategic use of time, (c) instructional leadership, (d) mindset shifts, and (e) purposeful implementation offer actionable strategies to drive meaningful, sustainable change. Participants will explore how these levers strengthen and extend the Four Domains to create coherence, momentum, and results. Drawing from real school contexts and leadership stories, this session equips educators with practical tools to lead with moral clarity and urgency—not just to respond to crises but also to transform school systems in ways that elevate outcomes and affirm every student’s worth.  

Hybrid Workshop: Transforming Classrooms: Coaching Systems That Drive Teacher Efficacy 

Time: 12:15–1:15pm 
Location: Mile High 2A 
Presenters: Tamara Hall (WestEd), Kekaha Spencer (Nanakuli-Waianae Complex), John Wataoka (Nanakuli-Waianae Complex), and Nicole Kurata (Wai’anae Intermediate School) 

This session explores how a Title I School created a system to enhance collective efficacy by developing collaborative planning and coaching systems to drive success for teachers and students. Participants will learn how to improve instructional rigor, student engagement, and pedagogy while evaluating current systems for effective implementation. The focus is on ensuring access to grade-level standards and fostering teacher collaboration through peer observations and feedback. Key outcomes include creating systems for intentional collaboration to improve instructional practices, analyzing existing structures for equitable student learning, identifying essential instructional coaching areas, evaluating current coaching practices, addressing leadership barriers to collaboration, and developing action plans for better systems and structures. The session aims to equip participants with strategies to enhance collaboration and instructional practices in educational settings.  

Hybrid Workshop: Writing Apprenticeship: Demystifying Discipline-Specific Writing for Students 

Time: 1:45–2:45 p.m.  
Location: Mile High 1C 
Presenters: Menya Cole (WestEd), Richard Rodriguez (Palo Alto Unified School District), and Jenell Krishnan (WestEd) 

Join us for Writing Apprenticeship: Demystifying Discipline-Specific Writing for Students! Experience the Writing Apprenticeship framework, a research-based approach that supports students—especially Multilingual Learners and those underserved by traditional writing instruction—in developing writing expertise in school and beyond. You will explore how to scaffold discipline-specific writing by making your thinking visible throughout the writing process. We will focus on using the writing think-aloud routine for uncovering the strategic moves that writers make in their own discipline. Through modeling, guided writing, and peer feedback, this hands-on session will help you transform writing instruction into a more inclusive, empowering practice. This session is built for teachers, coaches, and leaders ready to shift writing instruction from rigid templates to responsive, empowering routines, especially in the humanities. 

Thursday, February 12, 2026 

Hybrid Lecture: Writing Reimagined: Harnessing AI and Innovation to Drive Literacy Gains 

Time: 12–1 p.m. 
Location: Bluebird 2A 
Presenters: Susan Levenson (WestEd), Dede Heimbigner (Diamond View Middle School), Charlotte Klinock (Meadow View Elementary School), and Jason Waddell (Susanville School District) 

Rapidly changing paradigms in language and communication have presented considerable challenges for literacy, especially writing. How can we leverage the opportunities in this unprecedented landscape? Experience a hands-on, interactive session designed to engage educators in collaborative protocols and authentic learning experiences with emerging technologies that fostered double-digit gains in literacy scores for the Susanville School District. Experiment with your fellow participants in real time to explore the calibration between human and AI scoring of student writing, or try your hand at creating a fantastically creative writing lesson using a simple app. Learn how to gather writing dashboard data by standards domains to support laser-focused and effective instruction. Join a dynamic community of practice that mirrors the transformative power of technology and creativity, making it ideal for building and classroom leaders seeking to drive significant change in literacy education. 

Hybrid Workshop: What We Heard, Where We’re Going: Unpacking Strengths, Opportunities, and Priorities of the Western Region 

Time: 1:30–2:30 p.m. 
Location: Mile High 2A
Presenters: Natalie Walrond (WestEd) and Rebeca Cerna (WestEd) 

The Western Educational Equity Assistance Center (WEEAC) at WestEd supports local and state educational agencies (LEAs and SEAs) in building and sustaining the system conditions that promote safe and supportive learning environments and academic excellence for every student. Needs sensing is an ongoing effort that ensures the WEEAC’s technical assistance (TA) is relevant, timely, and has impact. It also allows us to stay abreast of the successes, challenges, and priorities of SEA and LEA leaders who are our clients. Through collaborative table discussions, we’ll unpack eight key themes that emerged from our initial needs sensing—highlighting strengths, identifying pressing needs, and examining new opportunities for improvement and innovation. This interactive session is designed to foster shared understanding and spark actionable ideas, empowering participants to support every child and shape the future of education in their communities.

Hybrid Lecture: ESL Certification: Cultivating Educator Communities to Serve Multilingual Learners 

Time: 1:45–2:45 p.m. 
Location: Mile High 4B 
Presenters: Angel Zimmerman (Reading School District), Wanda Gonzalez-Crespo (Reading School District), and Leslie Hamburger (WestEd) 

This session highlights how Reading School District (PA), in partnership with WestEd, created a district-run ESL certification program that centers educator identity, evidence-based practice, and community engagement to better serve Multilingual Learners. In response to the national ESL teacher shortage, the district launched a job-embedded, graduate-level pathway aligned with PDE competencies to grow talent from within. Presenters will share how the program was designed, implemented, and refined over three cohorts, offering replicable structures, actionable strategies, and key lessons. This work has direct relevance for districts looking to address educator shortages; improve outcomes for English Learners; and strengthen pathways through Title I, Title II, and Title III supports. 

Hybrid Workshop: Strengthening Instruction Through Shared Practice: How PLCs Drove Gains in CA District 

Time: 1:45–2:45 p.m. 
Location: 502 
Presenters: Katie Salcido (Santa Maria-Bonita School District), Melissa Strand (WestEd), and Niccole Wiseman (Santa Maria-Bonita School District)  

This presentation shares how Santa Maria-Bonita School District (SMBSD) redesigned Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) to foster a community dedicated to improving student learning through instructional growth using VITAL Collaboration. VITAL PLCs serve as engines of improvement by making teaching practice visible and embedding feedback into teaching and learning cycles. In these cycles teachers analyze lessons, observe instruction, examine student work, and adjust practice in response to evidence. Teams strengthen their collective expertise and build the conditions for sustained instructional improvement, leading to improved outcomes for students. In SMBSD, educators report gains in collaborative practices, instructional improvement, and morale. In addition, ELA CAASPP show a 1.7 percentage point increase in proficiency, and the percentage of students meeting their reading growth targets on the NWEA MAP GROWTH increased from 46.0 percent to 51.3 percent after 1 year of implementation. 

---