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National Centers

WestEd works with diverse partners—including state education agencies, local education agencies, schools, institutions of higher education, and social service agencies—to expand capacity and improve outcomes for learners.

WestEd operates two types of federally funded centers:

  • Support centers provide customized local and state consulting services designed to build capacity, facilitate communications, and transfer knowledge and expertise in order to encourage positive, systemwide outcomes across many domains. These services are provided free of charge.
  • Research and development centers seek to develop research-based solutions that overcome barriers to student success, developing, testing them, and refining them along the way in collaboration with practitioners. Resulting findings, actionable tools, and guidance are disseminated to the field.
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Center for IDEA Fiscal Reporting (CIFR)

The Center for IDEA Fiscal Reporting provides technical assistance to state educational agencies and state-led agencies on meeting their federal obligations to collect and report special education fiscal data under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

National Center for Systemic Improvement (NCSI)

The National Center for Systemic Improvement provides technical assistance to help state education agencies use their general supervision and professional development systems to establish and meet high expectations for every student with a disability.

National Research & Development Center to Improve Education for Secondary English Learners

The National Research & Development Center to Improve Education for Secondary English Learners at WestEd works to address the urgent need to better understand and support the needs of English Learners in secondary schools in deep, rigorous, and generative ways.

Regional Comprehensive Centers

Regional Comprehensive Centers provide content expertise and resources to support state education agencies and school districts in implementing federal programs in designated regions of the United States.

Regional Educational Laboratories

Regional Education Laboratories partner with school districts, state departments of education, and other education entities to help generate and apply evidence to improve learner outcomes.

Western Educational Equity Assistance Center (WEEAC)

The Western Educational Equity Assistance Center (WEEAC) assists school districts and tribal and state education agencies to promote equitable education opportunities and resources in Western states and territories.

In addition to federally funded centers, WestEd operates several content-focused centers that the agency itself funds. Some of these centers were formerly funded by the federal government, others originated at WestEd. All address issues of critical importance in education and/or human development.

Center for Economic Mobility

The Center for Economic Mobility at WestEd partners with education and workforce systems to reduce or remove structural barriers in institutional processes, creating stronger social networks, and offering career connections, so that educators can create stronger and more equitable pathways to economic mobility.

Center to Improve Social and Emotional Learning and School Safety

Formerly a federally-funded technical assistance center, the Center to Improve Social and Emotional Learning and School Safety offers a repository of evidence-based resources to support states and districts as they work to advance system conditions that promote equity, social and emotional well-being, and academic excellence.

Center for School Turnaround and Improvement

The Center for School Turnaround and Improvement (CSTI) at WestEd is a nationally recognized leader in the research and development of solutions that support systemic improvement for all schools.

Center for Standards, Assessment and Accountability

The Center for Standards, Assessment, and Accountability (CSAA) at WestEd supports educators in the development and use of rigorous standards and student-focused assessment and accountability practices.

Justice & Prevention Research Center

The WestEd Justice & Prevention Research Center highlights the rigorous research and evaluation work that WestEd researchers are conducting in the areas of school safety, violence and crime prevention, juvenile and criminal justice, and public health.