Advancing math equity, celebrating Women's History Month, research highlights and upcoming events
At WestEd, we are continuing to drive efforts to improve learning recovery and strengthen supports to advance equitable learning outcomes for all students. This month’s WestEd 360° newsletter features information about:??
News: Carnegie Math Pathways Releases Quantway and Statway Courses as Open Educational Resources??
Over a decade ago, Carnegie Math Pathways at WestEd collaborated with educators around the country to design more inclusive and equitable, and no less rigorous, paths to success in mathematics for all students. Carnegie Math Pathways is taking its commitment to equity to the next level by transitioning its highly effective Quantway and Statway course materials to Open Educational Resources (OER) .???
By making its courses openly available as OER and offering print materials and a learning platform at low cost, Carnegie Math Pathways is making it possible for more students in the U.S. and globally to access and benefit from the proven curriculum.??
?“Equity gaps can’t be addressed as long as high-quality education resources are accessible only to those who can afford them,” says Ann Edwards, Director of Mathematics at WestEd . The shift to OER also provides instructors with increased flexibility to use, adapt, and build upon trusted, ready-made curricula to meet their specific students’ needs. ??
Learn more about these courses as well as the supports and resources available to instructors who use them.?
Celebrating Women’s History Month ?
This Women’s History Month, we’re celebrating the accomplishments of women who champion educational equity by speaking with some of our WestEd leaders about their personal and professional journeys:
Dr. Sharon Nelson-Barber , Director of Culture and Language in STEM Education?
“In my work, I include local wisdom, culture, and the approval of communities in standards of practice as an important step toward providing equitable opportunities for students’ academic and social success, including women and girls.”?
Dr. Ayele Dodoo , Director of Educational Leadership and Systems Design?
“I am Ayele Dodoo—daughter, wife, mother, learner, coach, leader because…?
My parents pray for me?
My teachers expected me to learn?
My coach asks hard questions?
And WestEd makes space for me to impact the communities we serve.”?
Dr. Jennifer Wolfsheimer , Senior Research Associate, Special Education Policy and Practice?
“Empowering women and girls in education is not just a goal; it’s a commitment to dismantling barriers. We must not shy away from how the intersectionality of identities accounts for compounded inequities. By embracing the richness of diversity, we foster equity.”?
Dr. Niki Sandoval , Co-Director of the Western Educational Equity Assistance Center and Senior Strategic Development Manager, Resource Planning?
“As Co-Director of the Western Educational Equity Assistance Center, I work in partnership with educational leaders to remove barriers that stand between students and positive educational outcomes.?
As a first-generation college graduate, education has transformed my trajectory. I have a responsibility to remove barriers for girls and women, as the women in my family did for me.”?
Dr. Saroja Warner , Director for Culturally Responsive and Equitable Systems
“In the words of civil and children’s rights activist Marian Wright Edelman, ‘You can’t be what you can’t see.’ I was blessed to experience strong mentorship from talented women over the course of my career and for that reason understand my responsibilities to do the same for the aspiring, talented women following in my footsteps.”?
Research Highlights?
Understanding the science of reading to strengthen K–12 literacy instruction and accelerate learning?
“The science of reading encompasses rigorous study of the processes our brains use to learn to read, what skills are necessary for reading, how those skills develop over time, and how they can be taught to all students effectively,” says Dennis Ciancio , Senior Researcher at WestEd .??
领英推荐
Improving equity for multilingual learners who may or may not have disabilities??
How can practitioners and leaders work to ensure multilingual learners who may or may not have disabilities are correctly identified and supported at the beginning of their learning journeys???
WestEd researchers Dr. Elizabeth Burr , Jamey Burho, and Alyssa Perez present findings from a research study exploring the intersection of language development and disability when referring multilingual children for special education evaluation.?
Centering equity in data-based decision-making: considerations and recommendations for leadership teams?
Safe and supportive school environments that promote well-being and healthy social and emotional development are essential to effective teaching, learning, and support of the whole person. In this guide produced by the Center for Social and Emotional Learning and School Safety ?and the Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports , school, district, and state leadership teams learn about key concepts and lead equity-driven, decision-making processes to scale schoolwide whole-person initiatives.?
Uncovering why the system itself is inequitable is a critical first step in creating transformed conditions in which students, families, school staff, and communities can thrive rather than asking them to continue adapting to a failing system (i.e., the status quo). Once the why is revealed, the how becomes the next critical step.?
Upcoming Events & Learning Opportunities?
March 19–23: WestEd’s Justice & Prevention Research Center at the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences annual meeting??
March 21: From Awareness to Action: Equity Detours & the Equity Literacy Framework , the fourth session in a webinar series hosted by the Western Educational Equity Assistance Center (WEEAC)
March 24–27: Carnegie Foundation Annual Summit ?
March 27: Tribal Data Collection and Governance: Principles of Practice and Partnerships , co-hosted by the Region 15 and Region 13 Comprehensive Centers, Western Educational Equity Assistance Center (WEEAC) , National Indian Education Association , and University of New Mexico Center for Participatory Research?
April 9–10: WestEd’s Spring 2024 Finance Training for School and Districts Leaders. Register .?
April 11–14: WestEd will be involved in 38 sessions and meetings at the AERA conference and 12 sessions at the NCME conference ??
April 24: The Development of Teacher Expertise in Secondary Contexts: Findings and Questions, the second session in a webinar series led by the National Research & Development Center to Improve Education for Secondary English Learners ?
Sneak Peek at WestEd’s Summer 2024 Professional Learning Offerings?
Our summer 2024 professional development offerings for teachers and school and district leaders are full of innovative insights, leading research findings, and actionable strategies across a range of topics. Dates range from June–August 2024.??
Quality Teaching for English Learners (QTEL) Summer Institutes : Creating Equitable Educational Spaces for English Learners (In-Person). Save your seat today .??
Supporting English Learners With Disabilities Summer Institutes (Online):??
Summer Finance Training for School and Districts Leaders (In-Person). Learn more .?
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Adapting to change is key ??. As Seneca hinted, not to confront challenges is to surrender to them. Let's innovate our approach to these global issues together! ???? #ChangeMakers #GlobalIssues