Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) have expanded across the United States in recent years. These accounts provide state education funds, originally allocated for students to attend public school, to be redirected to families to use for educational services of their choice.

These programs enable parents to use these funds for a wide range of educational services, such as private school tuition, tutoring, distance learning options, and more.

In this episode of the Leading Voices podcast, host Danny Torres talks with William Berry, Research Associate with WestEd’s Charter and School Choice team, and Robin Chait Project Director with our School Choice team. They discuss how ESAs work, three primary accountability mechanisms, and the need for research on student outcomes.

Their conversation covers the following topics:

Transcript

Resources Mentioned in this Episode

How can district and state leaders identify signs of school distress long before they are designated as in need of improvement by state accountability systems?

In 2020, WestEd partnered with the National Charter School Resource Center (NCSRC) to develop and conduct a portfolio of  research (listed below) that identified signs of early distress in schools, or "indicators of distress," and described an approach to support school improvement efforts. When states and education decision-makers wanted to take the work further into implementation, what emerged is WestEd's Indicators of Distress, an evidence-based early detection system that can help charter and traditional schools meet and surpass accountability standards while fostering positive learning experiences for students.

In this episode of the Leading Voices podcast, host Danny Torres talks with Aimee Evan, Senior Research Associate and School Improvement Specialist with the School Choice team at WestEd and co-author of the NCSRC reports, and two state education agency leaders, John Carwell Jr., Education Associate at the Delaware Department of Education, and David Frank, Chief of Staff and Assistant Commissioner, Education Policy, at the New York State Education Department.

They discuss the Indicators of Distress approach and how the Delaware Department of Education and the New York State Education Department worked with WestEd to identify needed systemic improvements and implement processes and procedures that helped lead to sustained success.

Their conversation covers the following topics:

• Implementing the Indicators of Distress approach in Delaware and New York

Transcript

Resources Mentioned in this Episode

• Indicators of Distress (Webpage)

Gun violence impacts families, first responders, and communities in profound and lasting ways. In 2023, more than 18,000 persons died by homicide in the United States. And on June 26th, 2024, the U.S. Surgeon General declared gun violence a public health crisis. 

In this episode of the Leading Voices podcast, host Danny Torres talks with experts from WestEd’s Justice and Prevention Team and developers of the Violence Prevention Navigation Framework (VPNF): Lori Toscano, Shaun Ali, and Kerwin Henderson. Together, they help state and local leaders better understand the factors that contribute to or prevent violence within their communities—helping promote safe and equitable futures for all children, youth, and adults.

Their conversation covers the following topics:

• Identifying the underlying factors that give rise to or mitigate gun violence

Transcript

Resources Mentioned in this Episode

• Justice and Prevention Research Center at WestEd (Website)

Early childhood practitioners face various challenges in the field, including staffing shortages, lack of funding for programs and professional development, and insufficient cultural representation in the workforce.

In this episode of the Leading Voices podcast, host Grace Westermann talks with Monica Mathur-Kalluri, Project Director within WestEd’s Early Childhood Intervention, Mental Health, and Inclusion team. As a Project Director, Monica engages with practitioners, parents, and state and community leaders to enhance the well-being of infants and toddlers and providers working with children ages 0–5.

Together, they discuss the transformative power of reflective practice spaces for Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) practitioners and how these spaces help prevent burnout and create a more sustainable and supportive environment for those dedicated to early childhood care. 

Listeners will also hear from early childhood practitioners from California and Virginia and what they had to say about their experience participating in the Revolutionary Reflective Practice retreat hosted in August 2023 for BIPOC practitioners.

Their conversation covers the following topics:

• Reflective practices for BIPOC practitioners

Transcript

Resources Mentioned in this Episode

• Revolutionary Reflective Practice for BIPOC Healing and Liberation (Website)

In this episode of the Leading Voices podcast, host Danny Torres talks with Angela McGuire, Project Director within WestEd’s Early Childhood Intervention, Mental Health, and Inclusion team under Early Childhood Development and Learning. Angela leads the Comprehensive Early Intervention Technical Assistance Network (CEITAN), which has supported the professional growth of early childhood intervention professionals for more than 30 years. Together, they discuss the critical role of early intervention in improving outcomes for our youngest children with disabilities and how state agency leaders can best support early intervention professionals in their work.

Their conversation covers the following topics:

• What state leaders need to know to best support early intervention professionals

Transcript

Additional Resources

• Transforming Early Intervention and Improving Outcomes for Children—Q&A with Angela McGuire (Blog Post)

With national literacy scores in decline and with the loss of instruction time during the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for effective literacy professional learning for teachers and engaging students equitably is more important than ever. For over 25 years, Reading Apprenticeship at WestEd has improved teaching practice and helped thousands of students achieve high levels of academic literacy across multiple disciplines.

In this episode, host Marley Arechiga talks with Linda Friedrich, Director of Literacy at WestEd, and Cynthia Greenleaf, Senior Research Scientist in Literacy at WestEd, about what more than 25 years of Reading Apprenticeship research shows about what works in developing academic literacy, what has changed since its inception in the 1990s, and what is changing in literacy education today as students rebound from the pandemic.

Their conversation covers the following topics:

• the Reading Apprenticeship approach and its impact on teaching and learning

Transcript

Learn more about Reading Apprenticeship at WestEd.

Additional Resources

• Average ACT Score For the High School Class of 2022 Declines to Lowest Level in More Than 30 Years (Website)

States are working to build and modernize integrated data systems to help public agencies better understand and respond to the needs of students, families, and communities, which is critical in the post COVID-19 era. To integrate data from across sectors effectively, states need to consider many legal and technical challenges as well as data privacy concerns and system security.

In this episode, host Danny Torres talks with Baron Rodriguez, Executive Director for WestEd's Data Integration Support Center (DISC), and Sean Cottrell, Director of Operations for DISC, about the Center's comprehensive services and why integrating data from across sectors—including education, workforce, social services, and criminal justice—can help state leaders and policymakers address the needs of the whole child, the whole person, and the whole community.

Their conversation covers the following topics:

• How DISC services can support public agencies, often at no cost

Learn more about the WestEd Data Integration Support Center.

Episode Transcript

Additional Resources

• Building and Modernizing Integrated Data Systems to Support the Whole Person (Blog)

Teachers are leaving the educator workforce at alarming rates, and the trend has intensified in recent years. Why are teachers leaving and what are some ways state education leaders can help districts retain them and attract new teachers?

In this episode, host Marley Arechiga talks with Caitlin Beatson, Deputy Director of the Region 2 Comprehensive Center at WestEd, and Kate Wright, Director of the Region 15 Comprehensive Center, about the importance of sustaining the educator workforce and how the federally funded Comprehensive Centers partner with states to address challenges and implement evidence-based and actionable solutions. 

Their conversation covers the following topics:

• The state’s role in supporting districts to recruit and sustain teachers

Learn more about WestEd’s Region 2 Comprehensive Center and Region 15 Comprehensive Center.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• K–12 Teachers Are Quitting. What Would Make Them Stay? (McKinsey & Company Article)

In this episode, Danny Torres talks with WestEd’s new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Jannelle Kubinec, and former CEO Glen Harvey, who stepped down in 2023 after 26 years at the helm.

Jannelle Kubinec brings over 24 years of experience transforming outcomes for children, youth, and their families through research, policy, and technical assistance. Her insights on WestEd’s whole-person approach and her steadfast commitment to equity and excellence are a testament to her leadership and vision for WestEd.

Glen Harvey laid a solid foundation for WestEd. Over the past two decades, she led the agency’s incredible transformation to an expansive, mission-driven, quality- and impact-focused agency. Under Glen’s leadership, WestEd emphasized high-quality research-based work to improve outcomes for children, youth, and adults, focusing on addressing the needs of traditionally underserved and marginalized communities.

Their conversation covers a range of topics, including:

• WestEd’s history, mission and values, and impact

Transcript

Related News

• Jannelle Kubinec Named Next CEO of WestEd

In this episode, Danny Torres talks with Dr. Katie Drummond, Director of the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Northwest, and Dr. John Rice, Director of the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) West.

Their conversation covers a range of topics, including:

• Addressing effects of the pandemic in the REL West and REL Northwest regions

Transcript

Since 1966, the Regional Educational Laboratories (RELs) have partnered with school districts, state departments of education, and others to help improve educational effectiveness and improve learner outcomes. WestEd operates REL Northwest, which serves Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington, and REL West, which services Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah.

By leveraging research-based practices and evidence, WestEd’s RELs aim to improve education outcomes for all students in the regions they serve.

Related REL Northwest Resources

• Accelerating Literacy Outcomes in Montana Through Evidence and Data Use (Blog Post)

Related REL West Resources 

• Supporting California’s English Learner Students Who Have the Most Significant Cognitive Disabilities (Blog Post)