Conditions for Learning and Development: Peer Collaboratives for Educational Leaders

Resilient and Healthy Schools and Communities (RHSC) at WestEd promotes a whole-person, whole-systems approach to building resilient and healthy schools and communities across all levels of K-12 education and other child- and youth-serving systems. We help our clients center the experiences of the communities they serve to make data-informed decisions that create meaningful and lasting change.

Using research-based best practices, we offer technical assistance and professional learning, surveys and measures, product and resource creation, and research and evaluation. Throughout this work, we support our clients in developing the mindsets, relationships, policies, and practices that result in liberated, equitable, and just systems.

Our Conditions for Learning and Development: Peer Collaboratives for Educational Leaders draw on our expertise to provide practical resources, peer learning and networking, workshops, and direct coaching and consulting tailored to your district, regional agency, and state needs.

Participants will learn innovative, strengths-based strategies to promote safe and healthy conditions for learning and development so all individuals, communities, and systems can thrive. Peer Collaboratives are designed to serve teams from districts or Local Education Agencies (LEAs) and provide a comprehensive collaborative experience that takes place over the course of a year.

Choose a Peer Collaborative Tailored to Your Needs

School Climate Data Use
This collaborative supports district teams to improve their school climate data use practices. Together, with each district team, we will identify assets and opportunities for school climate improvement based on data. Participants will:

• Use local school climate data to support school improvement goals
• Build capacity in data use practices
• Address inequities in school climate supports and outcomes

In addition to virtual group sessions and customized coaching, this collaborative includes an interactive in-person workshop that includes a series of activities on data discovery, data mapping, and data dialogues. 

Participatory Systems Change for Equity
Participatory Systems Change for Equity (PSCFE) is a systems change approach that centers the experiences and wisdom of those who are impacted by systemic inequity to make sense of and interrupt inequitable system conditions through collective action. This may involve participatory policymaking, strategy development, budgeting, evaluation, design, and other system improvement efforts. Participants will:

• Develop an understanding of the PSCFE, including the elements and guiding principles for transforming systems in ways that are participatory and that demonstrate and lead to equity
• Apply the framework to an existing LEA initiative with support from a dedicated technical assistance facilitator
• Share and learn from other participants to deepen understanding of participatory systems change for equity and to inspire systems change strategies in their communities 
• Have access to content specialists, peer learning and resource exchanges, affinity spaces, and professional networking opportunities

Reimagining School Safety
School safety is frequently defined as the absence of physical harm and violence. For schools to be safe for everyone, however, we also must prioritize positive elements, such as belonging, voice, agency, and interconnection. This peer collaborative consists of the following components:

• Part 1: Focuses on developing the mindsets and practices to shift toward a reimagined paradigm of school safety that defines safety holistically with a focus on cultivating belonging, agency, and well-being. Includes time to discuss and explore topics such as the evolution of school safety, restorative justice, co-design, complex adaptive systems, and the use of street data.
• Part 2: Uses a design thinking approach to support participants in their efforts to develop sustainable infrastructure and practices to reimagine elements of school safety at their site that they will integrate into their existing processes in an ongoing way.

Creating a Culture of Care
This collaborative prioritizes the well-being of both students and staff within educational settings, recognizing the limitations of individual-focused approaches in addressing systemic issues. Participants undergo a transformative journey, progressing from personal reflection to collective action and systemic change. This involves a blend of capacity building, inclusive practices, and continuous improvement, with a commitment to embracing diversity, challenging biases, and navigating complexity.

Sessions will facilitate ongoing learning and dialogue, and as members cultivate openness to shifting mindsets and practices, they engage in deep inquiry and reflection, ultimately striving to create environments where both individuals and the collective can thrive academically, professionally, and personally. Sessions involve:

• Professional Learning: Members will engage in a series of professional learning sessions to experience and build their capacity in trauma-informed practices, culturally responsive systems, restorative practices, systems thinking, and adaptive leadership
• Community Dialogue and Sharing: Regular opportunities for dialogue will enable the sharing of best practices, experiences, and resources, aimed at fostering a culture of care
• Collaborative Strategy Development: The group will convene to craft and refine plans and strategies tailored to the unique needs of the school community, with an emphasis on culture and context
• Ongoing Reflection and Improvement: Participants will reflect on their own learning and practices, embracing a continuous improvement mindset and process to foster personal and collective growth