In this edition of WestEd 360°, we spotlight WestEd staff who have received national recognition from professional organizations for their contributions to the field, two federal grants from the U.S. Department of Education, top 10 free resources of 2023, and exciting things to come in 2024.

Happy Holidays from WestEd

Thank you for being a part of our community and sharing your insights with us on LinkedIn! We are so grateful to have spent the year learning alongside you and are looking forward to what we will create together in 2024 to advance equitable learning and healthy development for all.

Coming in 2024: WestEd CEO Corner

Stay tuned for the CEO Corner with Jannelle Kubinec , a new ongoing section of the WestEd 360° newsletter. We’re eager to share insights from Jannelle about our work, people, and partnerships.

Celebrating Staff Awards in 2023  

We joyfully celebrate WestEd leaders who have received top honors and awards this year. 

Dr. Molly Faulkner-Bond, Senior Research Associate  

Dr. Molly Faulkner-Bond was awarded the Outstanding Paper Award at the California Educational Research Association (CERA) along with co-authors Kelly B. Bacher, Patricia Baron , Shuqin Guo , Alesha Moreno Ramirez, and Mao Vang . This award recognizes original, unpublished articles contributing to the field of education research, program evaluation, assessment, accountability, or related topics.

“I’m so proud of this collaboration. It was a great example of agencies coming together to partner and produce high-quality, rigorous work for a tangible policy goal.

As a result of this work, reclassification for California’s English Learners with the most significant cognitive disabilities (ELSCD) will be more consistent across the state. It will also allow the state to collect better and more consistent information about the achievement of this population.”

Learn more about this important work to support ELSCD students.

Jackie Peng, Program Associate, Culturally Responsive & Equitable Systems 

Jackie Peng has received the AERA Minority Dissertation Fellowship in Education Research, a prestigious program that supports members of racial and ethnic groups who are underrepresented in education research.

Peng will complete her doctoral studies through the University of Maryland Baltimore County and finalize her dissertation titled “Raising Mixed Kids in the ‘Burbs’: Mixed-Race Families Navigating Race, Identity, and Discrimination in Suburban Schools.” 

 “I began my doctoral studies during the pandemic with two children under age 5, so this fellowship award has been a tremendous support to finish my dissertation while working part time at WestEd. Suburban school districts educate the majority of children in the U.S. and multiracial youth are the fastest growing demographic under age 18.

I hope my research sheds light on complex and evolving notions of race, belonging, and stratification in suburban communities.”

Read more about Peng’s research: Multiracial Identity from Theory to Praxis: A Literature Review for K12 Practitioners.

Dr. Priya Kannan, Senior Researcher, Assessment Research and Innovations 

Dr. Priya Kannan was awarded the Bradley Hanson for Contributions to Educational Measurement from the National Council for Measurement in Education (NCME) with Dr. Paul Deane and Dr. Duanli Yan from Educational Testing Service (ETS). 

"It was an honor to receive the ‘Bradley Hanson Award’ at the 2023 National Council on Measurement in Education conference along with colleagues from ETS. This award was in recognition of my contributions to research focused on providing automated feedback to students about their writing to help them develop more effective writing strategies.  

I hope that this work continues to have a broad range of applications for personalized learning and providing automated feedback to students in domains beyond writing." 

Learn more about Dr. Kannan's publications.

Dr. Anthony Petrosino, Director, WestEd’s Justice and Prevention Research Center (JPRC) and Senior Fellow and Affiliated Faculty, George Mason University Center for Evidence-based Crime Policy 

Dr. Anthony Petrosino received the Research-to-Policy Collaboration Scholar Award at Penn State University in recognition of his public impact and expertise in the fields of Criminology and Criminal Justice.

This award is given to scholars who have demonstrated commitment to achieving the public benefit of research at scale by engaging in the Research-to-Policy Collaboration (RPC). By establishing public policy relationships, Petrosino’s engagement is amongst the top 25% of researchers in the RPC network, including responding to 7 requests for evidence since the fall of 2021, which were produced for members of Congress.

 “Conducting research to immediately inform policy decisions is integral to WestEd’s mission. I’m honored to be part of Penn State's R2P initiative as it aligns with our own commitment to bridge the gap between research and policy.

It is especially exciting to be actively engaging with Congressional leaders and policymakers nationwide. I’m indebted to my JPRC teammates who have helped by providing resources or recommendations to R2P in response to Congressional and other inquiries.”

Visit the Justice and Prevention Research Center (JPRC) to read more about Dr. Petrosino's leadership.

Dr. Cynthia Greenleaf, Co-Founder of Reading Apprenticeship and Senior Research Scientist in Literacy 

Dr. Cynthia Greenleaf was inducted into the Reading Hall of Fame, an international organization that for 50 years has honored leaders, past and present, who have made important contributions to improve reading instruction.

Greenleaf delivered her acceptance speech earlier this month at the Literacy Research Association’s 2023 Annual Conference.

“I’m deeply honored to be inducted into the Reading Hall of Fame, having been nominated and voted into the organization by some of the greatest luminaries in the field.”

Here is a Q&A with Dr. Greenleaf on the evolution of the literacy education field.

Grant Spotlight: WestEd Receives Two Federal Grants to Promote Literacy and Mental Health 

The U.S. Department of Education announced that WestEd was awarded two grants from the Department’s Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Program to help address academic recovery and advance educational equity and innovation.

With a grant from EIR, the Reading Apprenticeship team will be able to update its innovative curriculum and professional learning. “Reading is among the most essential skills needed for success in all facets of life,” said Linda Friedrich , project director and director of WestEd’s Reading Apprenticeship. “With this funding, we can potentially alter the course of thousands of students’ academic and career trajectories.”

WestEd received another EIR grant to support Project Pathways, which will develop and evaluate a free digital program to help middle schools in Placer County, California build data-informed mental health support systems for students and accurately identify students with mental health concerns.

“Through Project Pathways, more than 18,000 middle schoolers in Placer County will gain greater access to robust mental health care,” said Nick Gage , project director and senior researcher at WestEd. “Just as importantly, the project will also help schools build the infrastructure to tend to students’ mental health long after the project is completed.”

Read more about this news.

Top 10 Downloads of the Year  

English Learners – Zone of Proximal Development: An Affirmative Perspective in Teaching ELLs by Elsa Billings, Ph.D. and Dr. Aída Walqui

School Transformation – Four Domains for Rapid School Improvement: Indicators of Effective Practice by Sam Redding, Carlas McCauley, Kathleen Ryan Jackson, and Lenay Dunn   

Research & Evaluation – Anti-Racist Evaluation Strategies: A Guide for Evaluation Teams by Kimkinyona Cully, Katie D’Silva, Lenay Dunn , Kylie Flynn , Tony Fong, Michelle Garcia, Ricky Herzog , Sylvia Kwon, Charlie Levin , Felisa N. , Rose Owens-West , Mary Rauner , Katie Salguero , Alexis Stern , and Jacquelyn Tran

Special Education – Assessing and Improving Special Education: A Program Review Tool for Schools and Districts Engaged in Rapid School Improvement produced by National Center for Special Education in Charter Schools and the Center on School Turnaround 

Literacy – Scaffolding Writing through the Teaching and Learning Cycle by Pam Spycher   

Math – Mathematics Lessons in Three Moments: Amplified Opportunities for English Learners by Guillermo V. L.

Whole Child – Supporting California’s Children Through a Whole Child Approach: A Field Guide for Creating Integrated, School-Based Systems of Care produced by Breaking Barriers, California Alliance of Child & Family Services , WestEd , and Santa Clara County Office of Education  

Equity – Participatory Systems Change for Equity: An Inquiry Guide for Child-, Youth-, and Family-Serving Agencies by Amber Valdez, EdD , Rebeca Cerna (she/her) , and Shazia Hashmi  

Supporting Teachers – Creating a Culture of Care: A Guide for Education Leaders to Develop Systems and Structures That Support Educator Well-Being by Christina Pate, PhD , Theresa Pfister, Ph.D. , and Tye Ripma   

School Climate – Reimagining School Safety: A Guide for Schools and Communities by Lauren Trout , Christina Pate, PhD , Krystal Wu , and Joseph McKenna  

Save the Date! Upcoming Events & Professional Learning Opportunities in Winter 2024 

The Western Educational Equity Assistance Center (WEEAC) will host a January 18, 2024 webinar, Foundations of Culturally Responsive & Sustaining Education. Register.

Become a Desired Results Certified Trainer, January 24–30, 2024. Learn more.

The California Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) Network will host an Open-Door session on Monday, January 29, 2024. Sign up here.

Join the Virtual Finance Training for School and District Leaders, January 30–31, 2024. Learn more.

Save the date for the California Center for School Climate’s events:

• Working Collectively to Generate and Prioritize Ideas webinar, January 18, 2024
• Prioritizing School Climate Within the Local Control and Accountability Plan webinar, January 18, 2024
• Annual Virtual Event: Transforming School Climate Mindsets and Ecosystems, February 29, 2024

The Program for Infant/Toddler Care (PITC) will offer a PITC Curriculum Implementation training beginning in March 2024! Register by February 23, 2024.

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Are there any specific topics you’d like to see us cover in upcoming editions? Let us know by replying in the comments. ⬇️