Reports and Guides

NSBA offers unparalleled access to information on current educational issues that matter. Reports and guides range from school board governance and issues to educational areas such as educational advocacy, safety and school choice.

Returning to School Safely: School Safety Considerations for the 2021-2022 School Year

As we emerge from a global pandemic, teachers, administrators, parents, and students are reeling from a year of virtual school, public health emergencies, civil unrest, increasing violence, social isolation, and family trauma. The events of 2020 have taken a toll on academics, social–emotional learning, and most importantly, on safety – but not just in a public health sense. This resource will examine some of the critical components of a successful return to school in the 2021–22 school year. As schools return, we must not lose sight of the foundational elements of school safety while also preparing for the new challenges this past year has presented. The initiatives and strategies discussed will assist schools in recovering from the trauma of the past and planning for a more successful future.

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Reimagining School Board Leadership: Actions for Equity | Supplemental Guide

Last year, NSBA released its guide entitled, Reimagining School Board Leadership: Actions for Equity that established a call for school boards to rise to the current challenges our school systems are facing to transform public education with a focus on equitable access to a world-class education for every student. This supplemental guide provides additional resources on how school boards can engage in conversations to drive this work forward.

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Going Above and Beyond: Achievement of Students Employment Experiences

The Center for Public Education (CPE) explored data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY97) and investigated the relationship between students’ employment experiences and their achievements. Our findings suggest that employment experience – appropriate quantity and quality of employee-type jobs – not only has positive effects on students’ grades in academic courses but also helps students to acquire real-world skills.

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Setting a New Course: A Legal Guide to Operating Schools in the Pandemic Era | Addendum

Last year, as school leaders faced school building closures and shifted to online and hybrid models of instruction, NSBA issued its guide entitled, Setting a New Course: A Legal Guide to Operating Schools in the Pandemic Era, to help schools navigate salient issues surrounding the pandemic. Nearly one year later, this appendix to the publication is intended to build on that guide by helping school leaders understand the latest federal guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Department of Education (ED).

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Reimagining School Board Leadership: Actions for Equity

A collaboration between NSBA’s Dismantling Institutional Racism in Education (DIRE) initiative and Center for Safe Schools, this guide focuses on acknowledging and understanding current events and the historical issues of systemic racism in America. This resource establishes a drive for school boards to rise to these current challenges our school systems are facing to transform public education, with a focus on equitable access to world-class education for every student.

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Protections for LGBTQ Employees and Students after Bostock v. Clayton County

The Supreme Court's ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia decided that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 forbids an employer from firing an employee because that person is gay or transgender. Beyond the world of employment, the Supreme Court’s ruling in Bostock is likely to affect the rights of students in public schools. This guide will serve not only to answer questions that may arise in these scenarios but also provide an issue-spotting venue for school leaders to begin the process of considering their district’s policy and staff training needs.

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Black Students in "The Condition of Education 2020" Report

A high-quality education for every student is a pivotal goal that public schools are pursuing. However, the recently released congressionally mandated annual report, the Condition of Education 2020, painted an unsettling national picture of the state of education for Black students. The Center for Public Education (CPE) selected relevant data from the report and compiled this brief. The brief aims to help school leaders monitor the educational progress of Black students and rethink what public schools can do better for Black students.

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School Leader Voices: Concerns and Challenges to Providing Meaningful IDEA-related Services During COVID-19

As schools prepare to reopen in the fall, there is a growing concern that school districts and educational service agencies will face unparalleled rates of litigation for their inability to meet requirements under IDEA during the COVID-19 pandemic. Working with AASA and AESA, NSBA produced the following white paper to understand how this issue may impact school budgets.

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Adverse Childhood Experiences

Groundbreaking research in the 1990s uncovered a connection between childhood trauma and long-term physical and mental well-being in adulthood. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) also impact the emotional and behavioral needs of students and present a more immediate concern for schools. This report provides an overview of ACEs and their effect on a student's readiness to learn, as well as the role of school boards in providing meaningful support.

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The Opportunity to Increase Equity: A Guide to ESSA Title IV, Part A

Sept. 23. 2019
After the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015, several changes were enacted into law. Changes included a new formula grant, Title IV, Part A, which allows for new opportunities and funding streams. Some of these funds are going unused. This paper from NSBA's Council of Urban Boards of Education is a guide for urban school board members on how to make best use of this federal grant program.

2019 State of the Association
March 2019
The State of the Association chronicles NSBA’s strategic milestones from the last year while also offering a look into the key programs, events and resources of the coming year.

2018-19 Advocacy Agenda
Oct. 17, 2018
The Delegate Assembly directed NSBA’s 2018-19 priorities as championing educational equity, ensuring ESSA is implemented in a manner that recognizes local governance, advocating for student safety, defending against privatization and securing adequate funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

2018 State of the Association
April 24, 2018
The 2018 State of the Association, Equity for Every Student, chronicles NSBA’s strategic milestones from the year before, including defining definition of educational equity. It also looks forward to the association’s long-term goals.

2017-18 Advocacy Agenda
Aug. 31, 2017
With the guiding manta that education is America’s cornerstone, the 2017-18 Advocacy Agenda outlined NSBA’s priorities, highlighting championing educational equity, ensuring ESSA is implemented in a manner that recognizes local governance, advocating for student safety, defending against privatization and securing adequate funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, supporting school districts in their administration of school meal programs and securing reauthorization for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act.

Today's School Boards and Their Priorities for Tomorrow
July 23, 2017
Conducted in partnership with K12 Insight, this survey reports on individual board member demographics, district profiles, district priorities and other areas of interest.

Same-Sex Marriage: What the Obergefell Decision Means for School Districts
July 30, 2015
This FAQ provides resources to help school board members and district staff understand their responsibilities for policy and administration following the landmark Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalizes same-sex marriage across the country.

Learning to Read, Reading to Learn: Why Third-Grade Is a Pivotal Year for Mastering Literacy
March 26, 2015
In collaboration with NSBA’s councils, the Center for Public Education’s white paper outlines the importance of mastering literacy by third-grade and explains how states and local districts are working to improve third-grade reading.

School Boards Circa 2010: Governance in the Accountability Era
October 1, 2010
"School Boards Circa 2010" reports major findings on school boards and their members at the time NSBA and partner organizations collected this data. The first major empirical research on national board practices since the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001, the report addresses six areas of interests, including who school board members are, what they think and how they conduct their work.