Summer 2026 Professional Learning 

WestEd’s summer 2026 professional learning offerings are designed to strengthen educator expertise and improve outcomes for all learners. This summer, teachers and school and district leaders will have the opportunity to gain research-backed strategies for deepening student understanding, strengthening literacy and writing instruction, and supporting English Learners and all students in achieving academic success.

Learn more about our 2026 summer institutes:

• Quality Teaching for English Learners (QTEL)
• Reading Apprenticeship
• Writing Apprenticeship
• WestEd AI Summer Sandbox
• Enhancing Instruction for Multilingual Learners With Disabilities

Space is limited, so secure your spot today!

Quality Teaching for English Learners (QTEL) 

Every year, QTEL offers educators open enrollment professional development institutes focused on developing educator expertise in engaging English Learners and all other students in deep, generative learning.  

During QTEL’s summer institutes, participants experience powerful models of learning, which they can turn into school practices that cultivate global competencies and academic development for all students.  

Join the QTEL team at one of the following 2026 Summer Institutes:

• Santa Cruz, CA: June 22–25, 2026 | 8 a.m.–3 p.m. daily
• Seal Beach, CA: July 7–9, 2026 | 8 a.m.–3 p.m. daily
• Austin, TX: July 13–16, 2026 | 8 a.m.–3 p.m. daily

Reading Apprenticeship 

Reading Apprenticeship’s professional learning is proven to support teaching and learning across a range of demographics and educational settings. Several decades of research demonstrates that the Reading Apprenticeship approach results in more engaging and effective assignments with significant improvement in student literacy and overall test scores. The summer institutes allow middle school, high school, and college educators, administrators, coaches, and instructional support personnel to experience the Reading Apprenticeship model in an immersive environment.  

You have the option to choose from online asynchronous courses or in-person institutes.  

2026 Reading Apprenticeship Institutes

• Reading Apprenticeship 101 | Online | June 8–August 1, 2026
• Reading Apprenticeship in College Writing | Online | June 8–August 1, 2026
• Reading Apprenticeship Essentials I | Matteson, IL | June 9–11, 2026
• Reading Apprenticeship Essentials I | San Francisco, CA | June 22–24, 2026
• Reading Apprenticeship Essentials II | San Francisco, CA | June 25–26, 2026
• Leadership Community of Practice | Online | July 13, 2026–March 12, 2027

Writing Apprenticeship 

Writing Apprenticeship is a professional development model for middle school and high school English language arts and history/social studies educators. The program transforms writing instruction to engage students in new ways of writing, thinking, talking, and reasoning in supportive classroom environments. 

Choose one of the 3-day, in-person summer institute options. Participants will experience full-day experiential learning sessions in which they will learn to model discipline-specific writing skills, build students’ writing strategies throughout the writing process, and support students in building confidence with literacy. 

2026 Writing Apprenticeship Institutes

• Matteson, IL | June 9–11, 2026
• San Francisco, CA | June 29–July 1, 2026

WestEd AI Math Summer Sandbox

The WestEd AI Math Summer Sandbox is a professional learning series for K–12 mathematics educators. The program helps educators discover how generative AI can support their teaching goals through collaborative, exploratory, and practical sessions connected to the math they teach. Participants deepen their understanding of AI and build confidence as they develop their own AI-powered teaching assistants.

Participants will experience six, 90-minute collaborative Zoom sessions facilitated by WestEd experts in mathematics teaching, professional development, and AI in education, in which they will explore new AI strategies, experiment with generative AI tools, and build their own research-supported AI chatbots to improve math teaching and learning.

Full participation can qualify educators for one graduate credit through the University of the Pacific.

2026 WestEd AI Math Summer Sandbox

• Online | Wednesdays, July 1–August 5, 2026 | 1:00–2:30 PM PT / 4:00–5:30 PM ET

Enhancing Instruction for Multilingual Learners With Disabilities: The Inclusive Pedagogy Framework

This three-day interactive virtual institute centers on the Inclusive Pedagogy Framework, an over-arching mindset that participants and school teams will learn to apply in support of multilingual learners with disabilities. Built on the foundation of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) supported by Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), educators explore evidence-based practices that support content instruction, English language development, and specially designed instruction.

Enhancing Instruction for Multilingual Learners With Disabilities
July 21–23, 2026 | 9:00–12:30 PM PT / 12:00–3:30 PM EDT