1/4 More states are gaining approval to pool separate education funding programs into flexible pots. Indiana is the latest, with a new waiver that combines five funding programs into one and pilots similar flexibility for some districts. Thread below 🧵

1/5 WestEd helps districts and states manage complex funding, reporting, and policy requirements. That work led WestEd's Jason Willis to a notable finding: the instructions for California's LCAP grew 800% in word count over the past decade. Thread below 🧵

1/4 Getting to high school Calculus usually depends on one thing: whether a student took Algebra 1 in 8th grade. Miss that on-ramp, and the path narrows fast. WestEd's Dr. Drew Nucci looked at what's working to change that. Thread below 🧵

1/6 A student can read a passage fluently and still be developing comprehension. WestEd's summer Leading Together series was built to close that gap, five free 30-minute webinars for teachers, coaches, and literacy leaders. Thread below 🧵

Literacy outcomes depend on more than one kind of support, and WestEd just brought those kinds of support together in one new suite for TK–5 literacy: Language, Literacy, and Learning. Curriculum, coaching, professional learning, and leadership each play a part in how well students learn to read,

1/5 What makes a school feel like a place where students can actually thrive? WestEd's latest blog post points to four conditions, and none of them start with fixing the student. Thread below 🧵

1/5 Persistent challenges are often signs of larger system issues, not isolated problems. That's how Tori Ballew, Program Manager at the Center for Education Systems at WestEd, describes what shows up when schools face things like high rates of restrictive placements or ongoing staffing gaps. 🧵

California educators are building something meaningful—schools where students feel safe, connected, and ready to learn. 🧵👇

At #NCSA2026, WestEd led and co-led sessions on strengthening assessment systems, improving the instructional use of data, and how emerging tools are shaping the future of K–12 assessment. As a Gold Sponsor of the event hosted by @CCSSO, here's what we explored 🧵

How can states do a better job connecting kids that are facing homelessness, foster care, migrant moves & the justice system with support? A new WestEd + UCLA brief looks at Colorado & Washington: what's working, and six ways to build on it.

What if young people aren't avoiding services—but navigating systems that make support hard to reach? 🧵👇

When the federal rules your school-rating system was built around suddenly move, what happens to your system? That's the question Indiana just put on the table for every state. On June 16, the U.S. Department of Education approved Indiana's waiver loosening a core ESSA rule—

We keep giving students more tests. We aren't learning more about them. WestEd's Sarah Quesen explains why in her latest post: schools add assessments but never retire them, the tests are built on different scales so they contradict each other, and no one's shown how the results fit together.

The best edtech doesn't replace good teaching—it amplifies it. So how do we keep the human connection at the center as classrooms adopt new technology? 🧵👇

1/4 Good reporting helps education leaders make smarter decisions for students. The catch: not every requirement delivers that value. So how do you tell the difference? 🧵

1/5 For a lot of adults, math is the wall. Going for a GED, getting back into work, or just trying to feel steady with money—it's often the thing in the way. And for the people teaching them, finding curriculum actually built for adults (not recycled K–12) is its own struggle. 🧵

1/6 This summer, WestEd is bringing math educators together to build something real: curriculum-aligned AI teaching assistants you create alongside other teachers. A 6-week program that moves from understanding AI to genuinely putting it to work in your classroom. 🧵

Congratulations to our colleague Dr. Niki Sandoval, a 2026 Hancock Honors recipient. A first-gen grad who started at Allan Hancock College and earned her doctorate at UC Santa Barbara.

“Our work is grounded in the real challenges that states and districts face every day, and I see that focus here in the folks at WestEd.” —Hannah Guevara, Policy Manager As a joint powers authority, WestEd partners with state and local leaders so policy and research respond to on-the-ground needs.

1/4 What does it take to move from short-term initiatives to lasting instructional change? For Assistant Superintendent Dr. Kevin Gallick, the path began with a clear focus on literacy.

Delta Academy serves students who've faced bullying, school phobia, housing instability, and learning challenges. Three years of low ratings threatened the school's existence.

Leading a school or district takes more than vision. It takes the people skills to bring others along. Coaching, team-building, facilitation, trust. The kind of leadership that holds a system together. WestEd's Leadership Playbook is a free six-session research-based series that helps school

Assessment data that doesn't reach classrooms. Accountability systems disconnected from improvement. AI tools that are hard to evaluate with confidence. These are real challenges for state and district leaders right now. WestEd's assessment team is presenting four sessions at #NCSA2026

Phonics builds the foundation. But what makes a child *want* to read? 📚 Literacy expert Misty Sailors joins the Leading Voices podcast to explore how school leaders can build a K–5 culture of literacy that students, educators, and visitors can *feel* the moment they walk in.

Phonics matters. So does helping kids actually want to read. Episode 22 of Leading Voices features literacy researcher Misty Sailors on building a K-5 culture of literacy. She covers disciplinary literacy, teacher agency, authentic texts, and practical strategies school leaders can use right now.

California educators — WestEd and CDE have two free virtual events coming this fall, and both are worth your attention.

Summer learning loss isn't inevitable. The research is pretty clear on that. Rachel Tripathy from our literacy research team is joining @BookTrust's free virtual discussion circle June 2 to break down what the evidence actually says about the summer slide and what works to address it.

Every summer, educators gather to focus on one shared goal: helping English learners access rigorous learning where language and content develop together.

Educators across the country are reimagining high school math, and WestEd is building something to meet that moment. ISQR is a new 3rd/4th-year high school math course is built around real-world data and hands-on projects, designed for all students regardless of postsecondary path.

Enroll in Reading Apprenticeship sessions in IL + CA for teachers who want students reading, thinking, and making meaning with confidence. Writing Apprenticeship gives students tools to communicate with intention across every discipline. 👉 RA: bit.ly/3PtGX3Q 👉 WA: bit.ly/3HHuV3b #EdSky #Literacy