The Holmes 2024 Summer Learning Series: Pathways into Education Policy: Starting Where You Are

This session is open to all Holmes Scholars, and coordinators are welcome to attend.

Join our upcoming webinar with Jane West, Ph.D., senior vice president emerita of AACTE and author of “Advocating for the Common Good (Special Education Law, Policy, and Practice).” West will share her experience entering policy as a doctoral student and offer practical advice on initiating your journey. Gain insights into state and local advocacy to effectively raise your voice in educational policy. Following these insights, engage in a discussion with West tailored to Holmes Scholars, exploring pathways to leverage your research for impactful change at local and state levels.

Jane West, Ph.D.
Education Policy Consultant
Sr. VP Emeritus, AACTE

West began her career as a special education teaching assistant. After the enactment of IDEA in 1975, and with an MA in special education from Columbia University’s Teachers College, she served as a special education teacher and administrator in Maryland. Eager to better understand the public policy aspect of special education, she pursued a doctorate from the University of Maryland. From 1983 – 1986, she served as the staff director for what was then the Subcommittee on the Handicapped, a subcommittee of the Senate HELP Committee. Since leaving the Senate, West has assumed roles at AACTE and as an education policy consultant for numerous national organizations, including the Higher Education Consortium for Special Education and the Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children. She has been on the faculties of the University of Maryland, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Johns Hopkins and serves as a co-founder of the Coalition for Teaching Quality in 2010.