Join WestEd at the National ESEA Conference on February 1-4, 2023, at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The theme of the conference is Lift Up! This conference focuses on federal education programs for disadvantaged students, bringing together educators from all across the nation for four days of learning, communicating, and reenergizing.
Add WestEd’s sessions (see below) to your calendar and visit our booth # 719 to meet our team and to learn about our resources, professional development opportunities, and research.
WestEd’s Schedule
Wednesday, February 1
Virtual Workshop: Design and Implementation Considerations for the ESSA Resource Allocation Review
Time: 10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. (ET)
Location: Virtual Workshop Room 2
Presenters: Alicia Bowman (WestEd, Region 15 Comprehensive Center), Corey Cornett (WestEd, Region 15 Comprehensive Center), and Tia Taylor (WestEd, Region 15 Comprehensive Center)
Through Region 15 Comprehensive Center, WestEd has been supporting the Nevada Department of Education and Utah State Board of Education with the development of the ESSA Resource Allocation Review (RAR) process. Our aim is to share design principles and considerations to ensure the RAR becomes a means of establishing equity-centered decision-making rather than another compliance exercise. The presentation will focus on how to design a process that enables SEA leaders that builds the capacity of LEA and school leaders to – create connections between identified needs, evidence-based strategies, and resource allocation methods – to address resource inequities across the entire system and ultimately improve the educational experience of all students. Learn more.
Virtual Workshop: An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure: Identifying Schools in Early Distress
Time: 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. (ET)
Location: Virtual Workshop Room 3
Presenters: John Carwell (Delaware Department of Education), Aimee Evan (WestEd), David Frank (New York State Education Department), and Eric Niebrzydowski (Delaware Department of Education)
Research shows schools don’t just decline all at once or out of the blue. Rather decline stems from these unaddressed issues that grow and permeate over time. This presentation will walk participants through ground-breaking research on identifying school distress before that distress impacts student outcomes. This session aims to help schools, districts, and states recognize the early warning signs of school decline and mitigate these challenges. The presenters will guide participants through this research and early warning signs. Participants will audit their systems and map current data collection to data needed to identify early school distress, helping save schools years of decline and ensure high-quality education for students. Learn more.
U.S. Department of Education In-Person Session: Kindergarten: Building the Sturdy Bridge Between the Early Years and Early Grades
Time: 2:15 – 3:15 p.m. (ET)
Location: 500 Ballroom
Presenters: Swati Adarkar (Office of Elementary and Secondary Education) and Natalie Walrond (WestEd, Center to Improve Social and Emotional Learning and School Safety)
Join Deputy Assistant Secretary Swati Adarkar to discuss the topic of early learning strategies for implementation at the state, district, and school level. In this session, attendees will learn about the U.S. Department of Education’s early learning agenda. Learn more.
Thursday February 2
U.S. Department of Education In-Person Session: Addressing the Social, Emotional, Learning and Mental Health Needs of Students and School Staff
Time: 2:15 – 3:15 p.m. (ET)
Location: 500 Ballroom
Presenters: Candace Ferguson (Synergy Enterprises), Nicholas Gage (WestEd) and Mohamed “Medo” Soliman (U.S. Department of Education)
Effectively addressing social emotional and mental health needs of students and school staff was a crisis prior to the pandemic. Now that we have fully returned to in-person learning, schools and programs need to be prepared to better address these needs, which for many is more significant based on exposure to trauma and social isolation during the Covid 19 pandemic. This session will share information from ED resources and highlight additional federal technical assistance resources that can be used to enhance and support State, district, and school efforts. Examples of effective practices from diverse school districts highlighted in the US Department of Education’s Return to School Roadmap will be shared. Learn more.
In-Person Session: A Strengths-Based Approach to Rapidly Improving Schools
Time: 2:45 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. (ET)
Location: Room 201-204
Presenter: Terry Hofer (WestEd)
Since the release of the Four Domains for Rapid School Improvement, the Center on School Turnaround and Improvement at WestEd has provided increased specificity around practices associated with turnaround leadership, talent development, instructional transformation, and culture shift. In this session, participants will hear stories of successful transformation journeys and examples of how strengths were prioritized and built to foster conditions for rapid school improvement. Learn more.
U.S. Department of Education In-Person Session: Addressing Educator Shortages – State Strategies and Resources from the U.S. Department of Education and Comprehensive Centers
Time: 3:45 – 4:45 p.m. (ET)
Location: 500 Ballroom
Presenters: Danielle Smith (U.S. Department of Education), Nikki Churchwell (U.S. Department of Education), Dr. James Colyott (Region 9 Comprehensive Center), Carol Keirstead (National Comprehensive Center), Dr. Jennifer Kirmes (Illinois State Board of Education), and Dr. Saroja R. Warner (WestEd)
Many school systems have faced increasingly significant challenges in attracting and retaining teachers and preexisting teacher shortages in critical areas have only been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. These shortages have a direct impact on educational opportunity for students, and research shows that educator shortages disproportionately impact students of color, students from low-income backgrounds, students with disabilities, and students from rural communities. ED has committed a significant set of actions and resources to support states, districts, and schools in attracting and retaining a teacher workforce that is racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse and well-prepared to ensure students have equitable access to high-quality educational opportunities. In this session, learn about the latest efforts and resources from the U.S. Department of Education, including a showcase of examples from states working closely with the Regional Comprehensive Centers to develop long-term solutions to educator workforce shortages. Learn more.
Saturday, February 4
Book Signing at the ESEA Network Conference “Meet the Author” Counter: Meet Aimee Evan, Senior Research Associate and School Improvement Specialist at WestEd, in person. She is the author of the new book, Student Centered School Improvement.
Time: 10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. (ET)
Location: “Meet the Author” Counter outside the Sagamore Ballroom on Level 2
Watch the video to learn more about the book.