Policy and Programs Department—working to shape the public education agenda
Published: July 9, 2012
CSBA’s mission is nothing less than to define and drive the public education agenda in California. Its underlying reason for existence is simpler, but even more fundamental: to provide the services its members need to create the conditions that lead to student success.
Delegate Assembly hones focus
The recent Delegate Assembly helped sharpen the association’s focus. Input that delegates provided in several intensive breakout sessions has now been studied by staff and will help shape the association’s 2013 policy and legislative agenda, Policy and Programs Assistant Executive Director Angelo Williams, Ed.D., explained recently.
In a presentation to the full Assembly, Williams described how the eight critical issue areas in CSBA’s Delegate Assembly-approved Policy Platform can be analyzed in terms of four high priorities: closing the academic achievement gap; focusing on conditions of children; strengthening effective K-12 governance; and fighting for fair and adequate education funding. Each breakout group then discussed two of those four areas. Staff review of those discussions has shown that the delegates’ most immediate concerns center on two areas: funding and finance reform and closing the achievement gap.
“The delegates have given us our marching orders,” Williams said. While work on all of the critical issues continues, CSBA will give special emphasis to how it can support funding reform efforts statewide and in local advocacy efforts, and to how it can help boards increase student achievement. It comes down to a fundamental question: What is one of the most essential tasks governance teams are responsible for?
“Among other important tasks, they create the conditions that support student success in their district,” Williams said, adding that CSBA provides the training, services, information and advocacy they need to accomplish that task.
Policy in action
CSBA’s Governmental Relations Department helps shape the legislation that will establish the legal environment under which schools operate; Policy and Programs works with the State Board of Education and other agencies to shape the policy environment once the legislation is implemented; and CSBA’s Member Services Department develops tools to help school districts and county offices of education put those laws and policies to work at the local level.
“Organizationally, we strive to align our services to directly support governance teams to create the conditions in their districts that support student success,” explained Vernon M. Billy, CSBA executive director.
The new Governing to the Core policy brief illustrates the department’s new focus with all tools supporting the direction of the Delegate Assembly and the Policy Platform. The first edition, published last month, laid the foundation for subsequent briefs that will support local boards throughout the implementation of Common Core State Standards and the assessments that will measure students’ mastery of those new benchmarks for achievement in English language arts and math. Regular deliveries of updated information, through future policy briefs and other communications tools, will support discussions at the Delegate Assembly and workshops at the Annual Education Conference and Trade Show.
More policy tools for members
“Policy and Programs will now deliver in-depth policy information, research and analyses through a variety of communications channels to maximize use and application for members,” explained Billy. In addition to the in-depth policy briefs/analyses that are available online, members will benefit from practical how-to, in-depth articles and best practice case studies that will be carried in the association’s award-winning newsletter and magazine, topical and timely webinars and other multimedia offerings, and online resources concentrating on the four broad policy areas articulated in the Policy Platform—funding/finance, governance, conditions of children, and closing the achievement gap.
“Issues of the California Schools magazine will be organized around these broad policy themes and will include in-depth story treatments and best practices to help members construct and implement effective policies,” Billy added. Learn more about the specific policy focuses and download the latest online resources at www.csba.org/EducationIssues.aspx.