As the 2026–27 academic year begins, school communities are preparing for another year of opportunities, new and continuing priorities and evolving challenges. To help governance teams start the year with confidence, CSBA has assembled this Back-to-School Digest featuring timely resources, practical guidance and key information for school boards and superintendents.
This resource contains a selection of recent relevant work from CSBA’s Research and Education Policy Development (REPD), Policy and Governance Technology Services, Legal and Communications departments on topics such as board operations, policy implementation, artificial intelligence (AI), professional development, student literacy, instructional materials adoption, school safety, immigration and more.
CSBA hopes this digest serves as a valuable resource and supports governance teams as they work to create safe and successful learning environments for students, staff and families.
Governance
Operations
How to access publicly available and reliable data as a board member
Board members do not need to wait until a board meeting to access public and reliable data. This fact sheet highlights trustworthy data sources that contain a wide range of student outcome information and discusses how board members can bridge this information with district and county office staff to identify disparities and highlight success.
Access information and resources for governing boards to navigate AI and its use in education here.
Policy
This toolkit is designed to support and enhance board governance, helping trustees assess and improve their policy literacy, engage with community stakeholders, and create robust and equitable policies for their local educational agencies.
Mirabelli-related sample policies
CSBA is revising certain policies in light of the U.S. Supreme Court opinion in Mirabelli v. Bonta. Some of these revised policies will be released as part of the August policy packet update. Members are encouraged to register for the webinar ‘An Inside Look at the August Policy Packet,’ scheduled for 11 a.m. on Aug. 26.
Budget
CSBA and WestEd budget webinar
The webinar, “Maximizing Impact: Prioritizing investments for students’ long-term success,” offers insights on how to navigate funding uncertainty and prioritize investments with the greatest long-term benefits for students. Panelists provide practical approaches to determining Academic Return on Investment (A-ROI) and explore potential questions to ask district staff to ensure thoughtful, strategic budgeting decisions.
Professional development
This fact sheet communicates the importance of professional development and training for school board members including research on effective governance, focus group findings and resources for continued learning. CSBA has also developed a customizable template for LEAs to use to share the importance of professional development for governance teams with their community.
Curriculum and instruction
Literacy
This resource provides school board members and governance teams with an overview of the science of reading and its connection to California’s English Language Arts/English Language Development Framework. It highlights current statewide literacy data and provides practical questions boards can use to guide oversight and policy decisions.
This fact sheet is a companion resource to CSBA’s “Primer on Literacy and the Science of Reading,” providing more in-depth information on the implementation of Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports (MTSS) for literacy.
Defining the California Literacy Landscape
This fact sheet provides governance teams with operational definitions of terms and recent legislation that are frequently referenced regarding language and literacy instruction in California.
Mathematics
Instructional Materials Adoption: Local governing board responsibilities
This fact sheet outlines the roles and responsibilities of school boards when adopting instructional materials and is helpful if your LEA is considering math adoptions or other content areas. Extensive additional content related to instructional materials is available here.
School safety
Safe, supportive schools are a prerequisite for consistently high levels of learning and growth. CSBA’s Safe Schools Toolkit is a digital, downloadable resource designed to guide governance teams in their decision-making processes regarding school safety. It covers a wide range of topics including comprehensive school safety plans, behavioral threat assessment, school infrastructure, sexual violence prevention, bullying and cyberbullying, and crisis communications.
Student support
Immigration
This document outlines the landmark Supreme Court decision requiring public education for undocumented students in Plyler v. Doe and what it would mean for California schools if recent attempts to overturn the law are successful.
Newcomers in California schools
Newcomers are immigrant students in their first three years of U.S. schooling. This fact sheet explores data on newcomers, provides resources for board members, and contains recommendations on best practices for governance teams to implement to enure safe environments for their newcomer students.
Legal
Legal blog on Mahmoud v. Taylor
CSBA offers some key considerations for creating opt-out procedures and forms related to Mahmoud v. Taylor.
Foster youth
Brief 1: Students in Focus: Foster youth in TK-12 education
This brief synthesizes the latest data, research and trends so school leaders have the knowledge needed to inform policy decisions, allocate resources, and design programs that can meaningfully close the opportunity and achievement gaps for foster youth.
This brief offers a guide for governance teams committed to equity-driven reform. It draws on promising practices from LEAs and community-based partners across the state, outlines the relevant legal and policy frameworks, and provides guiding questions for board members.
Policy recommendations for LEA leaders and state policymakers
This resource shares policy recommendations to prioritize integrating academic, health and social supports, as well as continuous professional development and robust data-sharing to build an educational landscape where foster youth are not only supported in their challenges but empowered to realize their full potential.
Small school districts
Small School District Resources webpage
Small school districts face unique challenges such as limited resources with small teams and large expectations. This dedicated webpage for small districts offers curated resources supporting small district leaders and helping them navigate specific issues.
Report: Two Jobs, One Person: Supporting the superintendent-principal
This report highlights findings from CSBA’s Superintendent-Principal Survey, which solicited feedback from dual-role administrators on a variety of issues to find out what resources these leaders need, the barriers they encounter and what school board members can do to support this essential position.
County Office of Education Resource Directory
Designed to help small district leaders — especially new Superintendent/Principals and Superintendents — quickly connect with assistance, the resource also promotes collaboration and shared learning among county offices.
The examples above are just a small selection of the many resources CSBA offers to support board members in their crucial governance work. Find additional research, policy information, training opportunities, products and services and more at csba.org.
