Dona Meinders

Overview

Dona Meinders provides expertise and experience in special education and systems improvement in all her work at WestEd. As part of WestEd’s Special Education Policy and Practices team, she works to improve academic and behavioral outcomes for students with disabilities and other special needs in the preK–12 educational system. Her expertise includes systems alignment consultation and coaching, and the development or tailoring of tools for effective implementation to meet federal IDEA programs and services. This approach includes the alignment of multiple systems of support within state and local education agencies.   

The focus of Meinders’s recent work has been on assisting local education agencies to examine and improve their systems of support to improve outcomes for students with disabilities. This is done through an in-depth examination of special education implementation within the larger local educational context to identify and address areas of need that are most likely to lead to enhanced outcomes for students with disabilities. This process has been used by more than 30 school districts. 

Prior to coming to WestEd, Meinders worked across all grade levels of the educational system in teaching and supervisory roles. She developed new programs for students with disabilities, including at the university level as an adjunct faculty member at California State University, Sacramento, where she worked with credential candidates in both general and special education and supervised student teachers. 

Education

• MA in education, California Polytechnic State University 
• BA in child development, California State University, Sacramento