The Right Support at the Right Time: Connecting California Educators to the Statewide System of Support
Posted by: Dr. Laurie Balsano Wright, Director & Leah Padilla, Director, Open Access
Photo by Wix
California Has an Incredible Network of Support
With more than 325,000 educators and administrators working every day in California’s public schools to improve outcomes for students, universal resources are an essential part of moving this work forward. California has built a robust Statewide System of Support designed to connect educators and leaders with the expertise, resources, and technical assistance that fit their needs and context.
California’s Statewide System of Support brings together statewide initiatives, technical assistance providers, county offices, Special Education Local Plan Areas (SELPAs), and other partners to help local educational agencies (LEAs) strengthen systems and improve outcomes for students. A central goal is ensuring that support is accessible regardless of where a district is located or who they happen to know. Statewide supports create an entry point so educators and leaders can access high-quality tools, build capacity, and connect to the right support at the right time. Connecting educators to the right resource at the right time means making existing supports easier to find, navigate, and use in their local context.
Universal Resources Matter
California’s public education system is vast and diverse, serving nearly 6 million students across 58 counties. Districts range from large urban systems to small rural communities, each with unique strengths and needs. This variability makes universal resources essential to providing every LEA with an equitable pathway to high-quality resources, expertise, and support.
The physical location or student population should never determine the type of support the LEA can access. High-quality universal resources create a shared starting point, opening the door to learning, tools, and expertise for every district. They help educators build capacity before challenges become more complex, connect to resources that already exist, and learn from a larger statewide network. The goal of the Statewide System of Support is to ensure that every district can find the right support at the right time while honoring the unique strengths and needs of its local community.
CalTAN: Making Special Education Support Easier to Find
CalTAN plays a key role in making California’s Statewide System of Support more accessible and easier to navigate. By bringing together evidence-based resources, technical assistance providers, and supports focused on improving outcomes for students with disabilities, CalTAN helps LEAs move from identifying a need to finding meaningful support. Rather than expecting districts to know every statewide initiative or provider, CalTAN offers a clearer pathway to explore available resources, build local capacity, and connect with the expertise that best fits their needs. In a state as large and diverse as California, CalTAN helps make a complex system feel more connected by creating a bridge between what an LEA needs and where that support can be found.
Open Access: One Part of a Larger System
As the UDL Lead within California’s Statewide System of Support, Open Access works alongside statewide and regional partners to help LEAs connect to the support that best matches their needs. Through universal, targeted, and intensive supports in Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Accessible and Assistive Technology (AT), and Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC), Open Access provides no-cost resources, professional learning, and technical assistance while also helping districts navigate the broader system. Our role includes connecting educators to the right resource at the right time, whether that resource comes from Open Access, another statewide initiative, a SELPA, a county office, or a regional partner. By listening to local needs and making connections across the system, we help educators find resources and expertise that support their next steps.
From “Where Do I Go?” to “What Do I Need?”
A connected system begins by shifting the question from “Which statewide project should I contact?” to “What challenge are we trying to address, and what support can help?”
The Statewide System of Support Resource Hub and CalTAN Resources make it easier for LEAs to explore state-funded initiatives, tools, and universally available supports based on what they need, not on how well they know the system. Partners across the system contribute to this vision by helping educators navigate resources, make connections across initiatives, and access expertise that aligns with their needs.
Right Support. Right Time. Shared System.
California does not lack expertise, innovation, or resources. Our shared opportunity is to make these supports easier for educators to find, access, and use. By strengthening universal resources, creating clearer pathways through CalTAN and the Statewide System of Support, and working across initiatives, we can make the system easier to navigate. Educators should be able to begin with “What do I need?” and find guidance toward resources that fit their local context. Connecting educators to the right resource at the right time moves us closer to our shared goal: better outcomes for every student.
