Overview
Gabriela Mottesi is a skilled research and technical assistance professional who supports education leaders in transforming policy into practice by developing implementation supports that foster responsive systems and student-centered practices. Demonstrating expertise in professional learning, Multilingual Learners with disabilities, and educator certification policies, she supports partners to translate evidence into meaningful, context-specific strategies to strengthen local capacity and support effective systems-level implementation.
As a Research Associate on the Assessment for Learning team, Mottesi supports state and local education agencies, districts, and educators through research evaluation, development, and technical assistance. Her work focuses on data practices, professional learning, and stakeholder engagement. She coleads national professional learning communities and virtual institutes focused on Multilingual Learners with disabilities, supporting education leaders and educators in translating research into practice. She also coleads technical assistance projects with the Oregon Department of Education to support evaluation and policy implementation. Her recent work includes co-authoring a guide on certification requirements, alternative pathways, and reciprocity policies to support states in strengthening their educator workforce policies.
Before joining WestEd, Mottesi served as a special education teacher in Denver Public Schools, where she primarily worked with multilingual students. During graduate school, she also worked with the National Center for Teacher Residencies. These experiences deepened her understanding of the structural and instructional barriers that students and educators navigate and highlighted the importance of creating solutions that are both practical and grounded in real-world contexts. Her prior work experiences continue to shape her approach to systems change by centering collaboration, community voice, and research-informed design. These experiences continue to reinforce her belief that lasting change begins by centering the voices and needs of those closest to the classroom.
Education
- MA in policy, organization, and leadership studies, Stanford University
- BA in political science, sociology, and Spanish, Vanderbilt University
Select Publications
Mottesi, G., & Wylen, M. (2025). Guide on teacher workforce credentialing: A look into the initial license requirements, diverse pathways into the teaching profession, and reciprocity policies. WestEd. https://wested2024.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/15104352/Report-State-Education-Agency-Guide-on-Teacher-Workforce-Credentialing_FINAL_ADA-1.pdf
Rowland, C., Azar, T., Grossman, T., & Mottesi, G. (2024, January). State policies to support teacher residences: An overview. National Center for Teacher Residencies.
Akinola, Y., Mottesi, G., Rolla, A., & Wylen, C. (2024). Kindergarten entry assessments: An examination of best practices, national trends, and recommendations. WestEd.
Beatson, C., Grayson, D., Mottesi, G., Rasberry, M., & Zammith, J. (2023). The state’s role in addressing teacher shortages today to sustain the profession in the future. WestEd.