Students thrive when the programs and services designed to support them work together seamlessly. Yet too often, well-meaning initiatives are operated in isolation, creating confusion and inefficiency for schools, families, and communities. This WestEd Perspectives piece explains how state and local agencies can build aligned and coherent systems—in which policies, practices, and partnerships reinforce each other rather than working at cross-purposes.

The brief shares practical strategies for strengthening coordination within your agency, between state and local levels, and across sectors like education, health, and social services and offers real-world examples of what alignment looks like in action, from coordinating student support services to helping families access resources without navigating multiple bureaucracies.

Discover how building relational trust, fostering collaboration, and creating shared goals can transform fragmented efforts into connected systems that better serve young people and families.