[1][2] The organization's mission states, "WestEd, a research, development, and services agency, works with education and other communities to promote excellence, achieve equity, and improve learning for children, youth, and adults.
[10][11][12] WestEd’s work is focused in several key areas: college and career; early childhood development and learning; English language learners; health, safety, and well-being; literacy; schools, districts, and state education systems; science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; special education; standards, assessment, and accountability; and teachers and leaders.
[4][13][14][15] WestEd is a joint powers authority, authorized by a California Joint Powers Agreement and governed by public entities in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah, with board members representing agencies from these states and nationally, including leaders from public and private education, business, and human services communities.
A nonprofit, public research and development agency, WestEd is tax exempt under Section 115(1) of the Internal Revenue Code, and, as such, meets the giving guidelines of philanthropic organizations.
In the previous contract cycle (2006–2011), REL West published over 30 peer-reviewed studies[20] and held 36 technical assistance events bridging research, policy, and practice, with well over 2,000 participants.
[32] In addition, WestEd is the prime contractor for the Northeast Regional Resource Center, which serves Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
WestEd is organized into several programs that provide research, technical assistance, and services in order to "create positive, innovative, and sustainable improvements in education and human development.
Students gained an average of two years growth in seven months of instruction measured on a standardized reading comprehension test, while engaging in rigorous, academic work rather than remediation focused on basic skills.
[59] A complementary program, Beginning Together, ensures that children with special needs are incorporated, and appropriate inclusive practices are promoted, in the training and technical assistance provided by PITC.
The Center for Child and Family Studies and the University of Cincinnati are codeveloping an online associate degree program for early Head Start teachers.
Each module focuses on cases of actual classroom practice that illustrate students’ science ideas and highlight an important teaching dilemma, one that any teacher might face.
[71] This development grant includes three small, randomized controlled studies to assess the potential efficacy of each of these courses separately to improve teacher content knowledge and student learning, and the reduction of the science achievement gap between English learners and English-proficient speakers.
[72] The National Science Foundation has funded a large-scale study, Learning Science for Teaching: Effects of Content-Rich and Practice-Based Professional Development Models on Teacher Content Knowledge, Classroom Practice, and Student Learning, examining the effects of promising professional development models on teachers, classrooms, and students.