Resources Library
Explore practical, actionable tools, model policies, and best practices to support academic excellence in your district.
General Policy Reform
How to get things done on your school board.
Policy Reform Handbook
Initiate conversations about policies & procedures, and holding administrators accountable.
Questions for School Board Members
Initiate conversations about policies & procedures, and holding administrators accountable.
Robert’s Rules Cheat Sheet
Common motions used in parliamentary procedure and how to use them in a board meeting.
Board Meeting Standard Operating Procedures
An example of common board meeting rules and procedures from an effective New York school board.
How to Govern from the Minority
Former school board member Dr. Kelly Kohls shares how she went from a lone voice to a change agent leader on her school board.
School District Performance Data
Look up your district’s state assessment data here.
Improving academic achievement in your district
How to cultivate academic excellence in your district.
SBAE Curricular Audit Program
A brief guide that introduces SBAE’s free program to audit your district’s curriculum according to standards for content richness, science of reading, age appropriateness, etc.
Reading Curriculum Assessment Tool
An exhaustive worksheet to assess the quality of your district’s reading curriculum, to be completed by your administration.
State Content Standards
Our friends at Ballotpedia have created a table with links to state curricular requirements in all 50 states.
Reading Curriculum Assessment Tool
A list of books in each subject area that take a classical education approach, organized by grade, K-12.
Assessing Assessments
How effective is your district’s testing regime? Use this resource to determine the academic screening tools that best meet your district’s needs.
School Board Time Use Evaluation Form
Effective School Boards created this form for school boards to assess how focused they are on academic achievement, useful to begin a conversation about priorities and necessary changes (this spreadsheet includes multiple tabs).
School Board Best Practices Evaluation Form
Another ESB resource, scoring the board’s adherence to a litany of best practices affecting academics.
SMART Goal Template
Every district needs academic goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound (and few in number!); complete this worksheet to assess your district’s goals.
Needs Analysis Presentation
Our friends at Kansas School Board Resource Center
created this presentation for school boards to think through their
building needs, budgeting, and the effectiveness of their goals.
Examples of Effective Curricula
Here are some incredible examples of curricula that have been especially effective at promoting academic excellence in school districts.
Core Knowledge
English & Language Arts: based on the cultural literacy framework of E.D. Hirsch, Core Knowledge is very popular with classical schools and increasingly is being adopted by states (including Texas and Louisiana), as well as school districts; Core Knowledge can help with teacher training and implementation in your district.
Core Knowledge History & Geography
History & Geography: based on the cultural literacy framework of E.D. Hirsch, Core Knowledge is very popular with classical schools and increasingly is being adopted by states (including Texas and Louisiana), as well as school districts; Core Knowledge can help with teacher training and implementation in your district.
State of Texas English & Language Arts
Texas has developed its own curriculum, based on classical education principles, and made it publicly available on the pages on this site.
1776 Curriculum
Developed by Hillsdale College, specifically for public schools who want to highlight the uniqueness of American governance.
Literacy Essentials
A high-performing phonics-based literacy curriculum. Reading skills progress from writing and spelling to reading in a sequence. Each skill is introduced and practiced until mastered from accuracy to fluency.
Singapore Math
Based on the curriculum used in Singapore, consistently the world’s top-performing country in math, it creates a foundation for algebraic and abstract thought.
Saxon Math
A match curriculum popular with homeschoolers and co-ops, it takes a scaffolded, hands-on approach to math.
Useful Studies
Here are some helpful studies to help guide your decision-making.
- Only 10-14% of high school teachers are using high-quality instructional materials (RAND 2020)
- Professional development must be aligned with curriculum (Carnegie 2020)
- Curriculum is 40 times more effective in improving academic achievement than reducing class size (ASPEN 2017)
- Content-poor curricula hurt economically disadvantaged students the most (General Accounting Office 1994)
- Students must become culturally literate by learning the history and great books of their culture to retain information across subjects (E.D. Hirsch 1983)
- Core Knowledge Curriculum is proven by longitudinal studies to improve academic achievement (Brown University 2023)
- Why science of math is better than student led instruction and other pedagogical fads (Codding, Peltier, and Campbell 2023)
- Using a science of reading curriculum improves reading scores (Yaacov Petscher 2021)
- Working with an academic goal setting coach improves testing scores (AJ Crabill)
Model Policies
Here are some model policies you can bring to your school district.
Parents Rights
Here are some resources to help improve parental rights in the classroom.
- Parents Bill of Rights model policy
- Rated Books
- Virginia Model Policies for ensuring privacy, dignity, and respect for students and parents in public schools
- Virginia Model Book Review Form
- Virginia Model Book Reconsideration Form
- Title IX call recording video
- What School Boards Need to Know About Title IX (AEI)
- Title IX Model Policy
- Politics and Children’s Books: Evidence from School Library Collections (Columbia University 2023)
- Gateways religious liberty toolkit
- Schools and the Law: First Amendment US Supreme Court Decisions That School Board Members Should Know (AEI 2024)
- Model policy – Prayer in School
- Sexual Risk Avoidance Education Issue Brief (Family Research Council 2014)
- Public Support for Teaching the Success Sequence in School (AEI 2021)
School District, admin, & staff effectiveness
Help improve the effectiveness of your school district, administration and staff.
- Budget Transparency Model Policy
- Edunomics training
- Carter Baldwin Executive Search Brochure
- Effective School Boards: Superintendent Search Process Guide
- Effective Superintendent Evaluation Form
- Voluntary dues opt out (Model Policy)
- Freedom Foundation opt-out map: organized by state and union
- Arcadia Executive & Teacher Search
Allied Legal Orgs
Here are some allied legal organizations that can be a valuable resource for you and your school board.
Woodring Law Firm: The Woodring Law Firm is a Tallahassee-based law firm with experience representing students and schools, including many charter schools, in K-12. Learn more here.
Pacific Legal Foundation: The Pacific Legal Foundation is a public interest law firm that defends Americans’ liberties when threatened by government overreach and abuse. Every year PLF represents hundreds of Americans, free of charge, who seek to improve their lives but are stymied by the government. Learn more here.
America First Legal: America First Legal is a public interest law firm focused on protecting Americans from unconstitutional executive overreach. Learn more here.
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF): ADF is the world’s largest legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, and parental rights. Learn more here.
First Liberty: First Liberty Institute is the largest legal organization in the nation dedicated exclusively to defending religious liberty for all Americans. We believe that every American of any faith—or no faith at all—has a fundamental right to follow their conscience and live according to their beliefs. Learn more here.
The Independence Law Center: The Independence Law Center is a public-interest civil rights law firm that works to preserve religious liberty, promote marriage and the family, protect human life, and improve education and policy for our clients. Learn more here.
Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL): Through litigation, education, and participation in public discourse, WILL advances the public interest in the rule of law, individual liberty, constitutional government, and a robust civil society. WILL has a project specifically focused on education reform. Learn more here.
Republican National Lawyers Association: The RNLA has a nationwide network of supportive lawyers who understand and directly support Republican policy and agendas, including education reform. Learn more here.
The Federalist Society: The Federalist Society has a membership organization comprising of over 65,000 legal professionals and has chapters in virtually every major city in the United States. The Federalist Society often connects its members with pro bono opportunities that fulfill its mission. Learn more here.
American Juris Link: American Juris Link exists to support lawyers by leveraging resources and creating opportunities for collaboration to advance freedom under the rule of law. Learn more here.
Whitehead Law LLC: Jon Whitehead has represented clients at all levels of the litigation process, from local courts to the Supreme Court of the United States. He has a proven track record of pushing back against government-sponsored religious discrimination. Learn more here.
Alternative Training
Below are some organizations that provide best-in-class training and programming catered for school board members.
- Leadership Institute’s School Board Leadership Training Program
- Best in Ed
- School Board Academy, a project of the Family Policy Foundation
- National School Boards Leadership Council
- Heritage Foundation’s School Board Training Program
- Noah Webster Educational Foundation (NWEF): Introduction to School Boards Course