CSBA develops, communicates and advocates the perspective of California school districts, county offices of education and regional occupational programs on critical education issue areas. Our research and work is focused around four pillar areas:
Student Achievement. School boards and districts must provide al students high quality teaching and learning driven by curricula for post-high school success; research-based instruction; timely assessments that accurately measure student performance, and strong professional teacher development.
Conditions of Children. Boards realize that proper nutrition, physical and mental health; support for learning; safe school environments, and access to community resources help students reach their maximum educational potential, and boards must establish policies and practices to overcome the barriers that students face.
Fair Funding. Public school funding in the state of California must be sufficient for high quality teaching and learning for all students in every school. The funding of programs and facilities must be guaranteed, stable and equitable.
Effective Governance. California schools are public institutions that belong to the communities they serve. Local boards must have authority and flexibility consistent with their responsibilities to ensure student achievement for all students and the long-term fiscal stability of the schools.
List of all policy briefs, fact sheets and reports
- The impact of an unfunded mandate implementation: Findings from a CSBA study on “late start” (5/24)
- Drowning in Documentation: Reporting Requirements for California LEAs (5/24)
- Seize the Data: Using Chronic Absence Data to Drive Student Engagement (3/24)
- 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)
- School safety: Bullying and cyberbullying (9/23)
- Understanding Artificial Intelligence in K-12 Education: What Governance Teams Should Know (9/23)
- School Safety: Firearm Safety and Storage (5/23)
- School Shootings Infographic (5/23)
- California's Federal COVID Relief Funding - Winter 2022 Update (5/23)
- 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
- Advancing Universal Transitional Kindergarten (4/22) (Additional resources available on CSBA's UTK page)
- Student School Board Members in California: Student Voice and Democratic Action (11/21)
- 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)
- Supporting California Students in a Time of Crisis (5/21)
- Understanding and Addressing Disruptions to Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic (5/21)
- 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)
- Effective Family Engagement: A Lesson From Common Core Math (3/20)
- The Preschool Landscape in California and Strategies for Expansion (1/20)
- Shifting K-5 Science Instruction with Next Generation Science Standards Curriculum Adoption (11/19)
- Policy and Programs Annual Review 2019 - a 116-page compendium of briefs, fact sheets and research (12/19)
- 2018-19 CAASPP Results for English Language Arts and Mathematics (11/19)
- Educational Equity: The Need for Boards to Support Equity-Based Decisions (10/19)
- Disproportionality in Math Placement (9/19)
- The Importance of Early Childhood Education Programs (8/19)
- 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)
- Six Essential School Board Roles in LCAP Implementation and Development (5/19)
- Why Schools Hold the Promise for Adolescent Mental Health (5/19)
- California LGBTQ Youth Report, by Human Rights Campaign Foundation (1/19)
- Policy and Programs Annual Review 2018 - a 114-page compendium of briefs, fact sheets and research (12/18)
- 2017–18 CAASPP Results for English Language Arts and Mathematics
- Supporting STEM Access, Equity, and Effectiveness: Equitable Access to Rigorous STEAM Coursework
- 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)
- Native American Students in California Public Schools (10/18)
- The California School Dashboard and Small Districts (10/18)
- Supporting STEM Access, Equity, and Effectiveness: The Path to Full Implementation of Next Generation Science Standards in California (10/18)
- The Impact of Marijuana Legalization on K-12: Current Status and Future Expectations (10/18)
- Latino Students in California’s K-12 Public Schools - Fact Sheet (10/18)
- School Board Members Get Down to Facts: Results of a CSBA Survey of Trustees on Key Education Topics (10/18)
- Uncharted Waters: Recommendations for Prioritizing Student Achievement and Effective Governance in California’s Charter Schools
- Seize the Data: Using Chronic Absence Data to Boost Achievement (9/18)
- Proposition 58 Regulations - Fact Sheet (8/18)
- Preventing Catastrophic Heat Illness (7/18)
- Asian, Filipino, and Pacific Islander Students in Focus (5/18)
- The English Learner Roadmap: Providing Direction for English Learner Success (2/18)
- Behind the numbers--The cold, hard facts of California public school funding (1/18)
- The impact of pension cost increase on California's schools (1/18)
Research and Education Policy Development Archives