About Us

With one of the most diverse and largest student populations in the nation, California schools face a number of challenges to ensure success for all students.

To help schools meet their goals, the U.S. Department of Education selected WestEd as the lead agency to operate the California Comprehensive Center (CA CC). As such, WestEd is partnering with the American Institutes for Research (AIR) and School Services of California (SSC) to build state capacity to implement fully the federal No Child Left Behind Act, improve student achievement, and close the achievement gap in California. The CA CC also provides assistance to the California Department of Education, as well as to statewide groups and organizations that assist districts and schools with a focus on NCLB implementation.

The CA CC has three priorities:

supporting those working to build the capacity of districts and schools to improve student achievement;
building the capacity of the state and districts to support students with special needs; and
disseminating research-based and promising practices.

WestEd CC partner AIR is a nonprofit applied research firm operating in California since 1946. AIR develops and disseminates information and resources, and provides technical assistance to support educators in using research-based programs and practices. Another CC partner, SSC, has served most of California’s school districts, county offices, and community colleges in meeting their management, governance, and fiscal responsibilities for 30 years. These two organizations complement the resources of WestEd to fulfill the mission of the CA CC.

The CA CC is part of a federal network of 16 Regional Centers, serving individual states or clusters of states. In addition to the Regional Centers, the network includes five Content Centers designed to develop materials and products in support of the Regional Centers. The five Content Centers address the following areas:

Assessment and Accountability
High School
Innovation and Improvement
Instruction
Teacher Quality

These Regional and Content Centers will operate through 2010. The network of centers also works closely with the Regional Educational Laboratories as well as with other federally funded technical assistance providers.