WestEd works closely with districts to strengthen their capacity in creating schools that are sustainable for students with disabilities. We equip administrators, general education and special education teachers, and other district team members with the tools to implement rigorous and supportive systems through strong instructional design.
How We Help
WestEd leverages our significant expertise and experience across general education and special education to help you align departments that may be siloed within your district. We provide teams with the skills, mindsets, and strategies for working in interdependent ways.
Our goal in working together is to create a unified, holistic, and student-centered instructional model that is responsive to all students. To support that goal, we help you develop your infrastructure by mobilizing district and site administrators and cultivating high-functioning teacher teams, including special education and general education teachers, leaders, and other key personnel who understand how to optimize teaching and learning for all learners.
Our team guides you through applying instructional frameworks such as Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to uncover opportunities to help students succeed. We also strengthen participant understanding of the components of Specially Designed Instruction (SDI) and how to comply with federal and state protections for students with disabilities. Throughout our work together, you will learn to
- Activate the connection between student engagement and cultural responsiveness as a catalyst for learning
- Construct a continuum of service offerings while retaining accessible practices and values
- Work collectively across historically siloed departments and divisions to increase your system’s effectiveness
- Reimagine core instruction to be both rigorous and supportive of the widest array of learner strength and need
Service Delivery
- Onsite, virtual, hybrid
Who Will Benefit
- School, district, and county office administrators
- Community services providers
- Teachers and teacher coaches
- Paraprofessionals
Zach has been pivotal in assisting my special education team. He elevates student learning standards by providing training that formulates Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals which are aligned with grade-level standards and tailored to meet the unique needs of each student. Zach has been indispensable in launching an inclusion pilot. Furthermore, he has offered invaluable guidance and ongoing training to ensure that students with significant needs can effectively access the core curriculum while receiving support for their functional needs.
— Aimee Bernard
Empire Union School District, Modesto, CA
Featured Experts
Zachary Smith
Connecting Research With Practice
Our Special Education Policy and Practice team works to improve outcomes for students with disabilities through research, evaluation, research, and innovation.
We apply innovative, rigorous research methods to solve pressing challenges in learner variability and special education. Using design thinking, systems frameworks, implementation science, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL), we identify and develop evidence-based solutions that are integrated into our service offerings.
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