Ruth Sebastian is an English Learner Specialist at WestEd, where she works to increase equitable practices and improve instruction for students designated as English Learners in grades pre-K through 12. She provides technical assistance to state and local agencies to support implementation of instructional practices to increase educational outcomes for English Learners.
Her expertise includes leading professional learning sessions for teachers and coaches, collaboratively developing school improvement plans, and supporting schools and districts to implement their Systemic Improvement Plans for English Learner Success. Sebastian coaches site leaders and leadership teams to increase capacity at all levels of the system and plan for strategic, sustainable change. Sebastian uses her extensive knowledge of adult learning theory, transformational coaching, language and literacy development, English Language Development (ELD) standards, Common Core State Standards, and related state and locally adopted curriculum frameworks to develop and lead customized professional learning that builds educators’ capacity.
Prior to joining WestEd, Sebastian taught elementary and middle school in Merced, CA, a district with high populations of English Learners. Sebastian earned her MA in curriculum and instruction from Fresno Pacific University.