Governance and Policy ResourcesResearch, guidance and services for effective school board governance

• *NEW* Two Jobs, One Person: Supporting the superintendent-principal
• *NEW* Students in Focus: Foster youth in TK–12 education
• *NEW* Students in Focus: Foster youth in California’s TK–12 education system — promising practices and legislation
• *NEW* Foster Youth in Focus: Policy recommendations for school boards and state policymakers

CSBA develops, communicates and advocates the perspective of California school districts, county offices of education and regional occupational programs on critical education issue areas. Research and work is focused around four pillar areas: Student Achievement, Conditions of Children, Fair Funding, and Effective Governance. To learn more about CSBA's Policy Platform click here. Research topics:

• Curriculum & Academics
• Early Childhood Education
• Educational Equity
• Governance
• Physical & Mental Health
• School Safety
• School Funding
  

Curriculum & Academics

• A Science of Reading Primer (5/26)
• Defining the California Literacy Landscape (5/26)
• Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports for Literacy (5/26)
• Defining High-Quality Instructional Materials for Mathematics to Meet the Needs of English Learners (7/25)
• The California Mathematics Framework: Technology Integration in Math Curriculum Adoption (7/25)
• The California Mathematics Framework: Curriculum Adoption, Technology Integration, and Instructional Decision-making (6/25)
• Educators' perspectives on AI in education (1/25)
• High-Quality Professional Development to Support Instructional Materials Adoption Aligned with the New Math Framework (1/25)
• Modest progress on School Dashboard continues trend of sluggish growth, Blog (11/24) 
• Assessing 2023–24 CAASPP scores and achievement gaps, Blog (10/24) 
• Before the Adoption: Creating the conditions for a high-quality mathematics program, Webinar (10/24) 
• Instructional Materials Adoption for Student Success, Video (5/24)
• Laying the Foundation for a Successful Instructional Materials Adoption, Webinar (5/24)
• Instructional Materials Adoptions: State and local governing board processes, roles, and responsibilities (2/24)
• Fact Sheet: Instructional Materials Adoption: Local governing responsibilities (2/24)
• Reference: State Roles, Responsibilities, and Process for Instructional Materials Adoption (2/24)
• Understanding Artificial Intelligence in K-12 Education: What Governance Teams Should Know (9/23)
• U.S. history and civics scores decline for eighth graders, Blog (5/23)
• California assessments results show declines: Comparative cohort data finds hope for intervention efforts (11/22)
• CDE releases state assessment scores and other student data (2/22)
• Challenging and Supporting English Learners in STEM Learning at a Distance (4/21)
• Creating and Maintaining a Pipeline for K-12 STEM Teachers in California (10/20)
• Supporting STEM Access, Equity, and Effectiveness (10/20)
• 2018-19 CAASPP Results for English Language Arts and Mathematics (11/19)
• Disproportionality in Math Placement (9/19)
• Supporting STEM Access, Equity, and Effectiveness: STEM and CTE Work for California's Economic Future (7/19)
• Seize the Data: Using Chronic Absence Data to Boost Achievement (9/18)
• Supporting STEM Access, Equity, and Effectiveness: Equitable Access to Rigorous STEAM Coursework
• Supporting STEM Access, Equity, and Effectiveness: The Path to Full Implementation of Next Generation Science Standards in California (10/18)
• 2017–18 CAASPP Results for English Language Arts and Mathematics

Early Childhood Education

• The ABCs of UTK, Webinar (4/22)
• Advancing Universal Transitional Kindergarten (4/22)
• The Preschool Landscape in California and Strategies for Expansion (1/20)
• The Importance of Early Childhood Education Programs (8/19)

Educational Equity

• California’s Children and Youth with Disabilities (8/26)
• Students in Focus: Foster youth in TK–12 education (3/26)
• Students in Focus: Foster youth in California’s TK–12 education system — promising practices and legislation (3/26)
• Foster Youth in Focus: Policy recommendations for school boards and state policymakers (3/26)
• Newcomers in California schools (2/26)
• Defining High-Quality Instructional Materials for Mathematics to Meet the Needs of English Learners (7/25)
• LGBTQ+ Students in Focus: Demographics and Academic Achievement (6/25)
• Seize the Data: Using Chronic Absence Data to Drive Student Engagement (6/25)
• Practical Steps Toward Advancing Equitable and Supportive Discipline (5/25)
• Assessing 2023–24 CAASPP scores and achievement gaps, Blog (10/24)  
• 70 years after Brown v. Board of Education and desegregation in California, Blog (5/24)
• Using chronic absence data to create change, Blog (4/24) 
• Supporting unduplicated students with increased transportation funding, Blog (1/23)
• Asian American and Pacific Islander Students in Focus: Demographics and Enrollment Data (5/21)
• Asian American and Pacific Islander Students in Focus: Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic (5/21)
• Challenging and Supporting English Learners in STEM Learning at a Distance (4/21)
• Supporting STEM Access, Equity, and Effectiveness (10/20)
• Educational Equity: The Need for Boards to Support Equity-Based Decisions (10/19)
• Disproportionality in Math Placement (9/19)
• Supporting STEM Access, Equity, and Effectiveness: STEM and CTE Work for California's Economic Future (7/19)
• Ethnic Studies: School Board Member Attitudes and Recommendations for Implementation (7/19)
• Report: The Landscape of Special Education in California: A Primer for Board Members (5/19)
• Native American Students in California Public Schools (10/18)
• Latino Students in California’s K-12 Public Schools - Fact Sheet (10/18)
• Supporting STEM Access, Equity, and Effectiveness: Equitable Access to Rigorous STEAM Coursework
• Supporting STEM Access, Equity, and Effectiveness: The Path to Full Implementation of Next Generation Science Standards in California (10/18)

Governance

• Two Jobs, One Person: Supporting the superintendent-principal (5/26)
• Board Bylaw 9240: Why board training and professional development matter (3/26)
• Board Bylaw 9240 Communications Template
• COE Services Directory: Small & Rural District Support (2/26)
• How to Access Publicly Available and Reliable Data as a Board Member (1/26)
• AI Procurement: Key insights for board members 
• The Board’s Role in AI Decision-making 
• Guidance: AI Tools Used by Educators AI Tools for teaching, learning and administrative tasks 
• Using AI to Reduce Administrative Burdens 
• The School Board Role in Creating the Conditions for Student Achievement, report  
• The School Board Role in Creating the Conditions for Student Achievement: A Review of the Research, Summary
• CSBA webinar covers budgeting in uncertain fiscal times, Blog
• Webinar: Maximizing Impact: Prioritizing investments for students' long-term success | Presentation Slides | (03/09/25)
• Effective Governance: Recommendations from the Field (9/25)
• The California Mathematics Framework: Technology Integration in Math Curriculum Adoption (7/29)
• CSBA Superintendents Advisory Council Zero-Emission Bus Survey (1/25)
• Waking Up to Reality: The unintended consequences of mandated later school start times in California, Report (11/24) 
• Before the Adoption: Creating the conditions for a high-quality mathematics program, Webinar (10/24)
• Drowning in Documentation: Toward More Effective and Manageable Reporting for California Districts | Executive Summary | Full Report (10/24) 
• Governance in Chaos: Managing Board Meetings in Turbulent Times (9/24)
• Instructional Materials Adoption for Student Success, Video (5/24)
• Drowning in Documentation: Reporting Requirements for California LEAs (5/24)
• Laying the Foundation for a Successful Instructional Materials Adoption, Webinar (5/24)
• Instructional Materials Adoptions: State and local governing board processes, roles, and responsibilities (2/24)
• Fact Sheet: Instructional Materials Adoption: Local governing responsibilities (2/24)
• Reference: State Roles, Responsibilities, and Process for Instructional Materials Adoption (2/24)
• Student School Board Members in California: Student Voice and Democratic Action (11/21)
• New CSBA resources on reporting requirements and late start, Blog (7/19)
• Six Essential School Board Roles in LCAP Implementation and Development (5/19)
• Board Self-Evaluation: Results and Recommendations from an Analysis of CSBA’s Board Survey Tool (11/17)

Physical and Mental Health

• National Suicide Prevention Month Q & A, CSBA Blog (9/24)
• The kids are not alright, Blog (5/23)
• Why Schools Hold the Promise for Adolescent Mental Health (5/19)
• California LGBTQ Youth Report, by Human Rights Campaign Foundation (1/19)
• The Impact of Marijuana Legalization on K-12: The Effect of Marijuana on the Brain (11/18)
• The Impact of Marijuana Legalization on K-12: Use of Medical Marijuana in Schools (11/18)

School Safety

• New resource for governance teams: The Safe Schools Toolkit, Newsletter article (8/24)
• Safe Schools Toolkit Blog (7/24)
• School Safety, Magazine article (4/24)
• School Safety Webinars
• Safe Schools Toolkit (7/24)
  • Comprehensive School Safety Plans
  • Supporting a Positive School Climate
  • Bullying and Cyberbullying
  • Impacts of Safety Threats: Reporting and Mitigating the Effects on the School Community
  • Behavioral Threat Assessment
  • Infrastructure Improvements for School Safety
  • Armed Assailant Response for Schools: Concepts and Considerations for Options-based Response
  • Sexual Violence, Trafficking, Harassment, and Title IX 
  • Alcohol, Tobacco, and Illicit Drugs 
  • Crisis Communications and School Safety 
  • Policy Recommendations 
• From awareness to action: Resources for Bullying Prevention Month, Blog (10/23)
• School safety: Bullying and cyberbullying (9/23)
• School Safety: Firearm Safety and Storage (5/23)
• School Shootings Infographic (5/23)
• The Impact of Marijuana Legalization on K-12: The Effect of Marijuana on the Brain (11/18)
• The Impact of Marijuana Legalization on K-12: Current Status and Future Expectations (10/18)
• The Impact of Marijuana Legalization on K-12: Use of Medical Marijuana in Schools (11/18)

School Funding 

• CSBA webinar covers budgeting in uncertain fiscal times, Blog
• Webinar: Maximizing Impact: Prioritizing investments for students' long-term success | Presentation Slides | (03/09/25)
• Explaining the end of ESSER COVID relief funds to your community, Blog (11/24)
• Waking Up to Reality: The unintended consequences of mandated later school start times in California, Report (11/24) 
• End of ESSER: CSBA communications resources, Video (11/24)
• End of ESSER: CSBA research update, Video (11/24)
• The impact of an unfunded mandate implementation: Findings from a CSBA study on “late start” (5/24)
• CSBA releases budget template to help governance teams communicate school finances (5/24)
• Settling the Matter: Why more money is related to better student outcomes, Magazine article (10/23)
• California's Federal COVID Relief Funding - Winter 2022 Update (5/23)
• Supporting unduplicated students with increased transportation funding, Blog (1/23)
• Beyond the spreadsheets: Insights from California education leaders on utilizing COVID-19 relief funding (Full report 9/22) | Summary (9/22)
• Unprecedented Times, Unprecedented Responses: An analysis of federal COVID-19 relief fund spending in California public schools (Full report 7/22) | Summary (7/22) | PPT Presentation
• Understanding and Addressing Disruptions to Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic (5/21) 
• The impact of pension cost increase on California's schools (1/18)

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