Resources

Participants explored the concepts of alignment and coherence across policies, funding, communications, capacity building, data use, and goals, with a focus on equity. Presenters shared examples from education agencies in California and beyond that illuminate the technical and adaptive aspects of working toward alignment and coherence of programs and services. The six domains of alignment and coherence and how they apply to school climate improvement and other initiatives were discussed.  

Watch the session recording:

View the recording transcript.

Download the session slides and resources.

Session Three Presenters:  

Natalie Romer (she/her) is a Senior Program Associate in WestEd’s Resilient and Healthy Schools and Communities team. Her work includes technical assistance, research, evaluation, and training focused on developing effective and efficient systems to support the social and emotional well-being of school communities. Romer’s areas of expertise include multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS); school-based mental health; social and emotional learning (SEL); positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS); social, emotional, and behavioral intervention and assessment; design of instruction and evaluation; special education; cross-agency collaboration; and integrated behavioral health service models. 

Natalie Walrond (she/her) serves as the Director of the Resilient and Healthy Schools and Communities content area at WestEd and the Associate Director of the Region 15 Comprehensive Center. She is a national leader of efforts to help public schools, districts, and regional and state education agencies become resilient and healthy places oriented to serving the whole person. Walrond has experience in K–12 education, finance, and strategy for both for-profit and nonprofit organizations and has led the development of flagship publications that have been widely cited in the field, including Serving the Whole Person: An Alignment and Coherence Guide for State Education Agencies, Rooting Social and Emotional Well-Being Efforts in Equity: A Reflection Guide, and the recently released Equitable, Sustainable Systems Change at Scale: Lessons Learned From State Collaboratives. 

You can register for the entire series or for any single Virtual Learning Session. Each session will be 90 minutes, with a 1-hour webinar-type session and an optional 30-minute virtual discussion for questions and consultation.