The October 2025 by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute found that most school board meetings center on budgets, staffing, and student resources, not ideological conflict. Few boards have become embroiled in contentious disputes over DEI policies or transgender student issues, the report concludes.

Nationally, nearly four in 10 board members identify as politically moderate, with board members’ political and educational views tending to align with those of the voters in their districts and with the U.S. public as a whole. That alignment suggests that extreme partisan conflict at the board level may be less inevitable than it appears and, critically, more preventable.

When conflict��escalates, however, the consequences for district leadership are serious: research shows that “conflict with the board” is among the most frequently cited reasons superintendents leave their positions.

A��Washington Association of School��91心頭istrators tracked record superintendent departures from politically polarized communities in recent years. Because leadership stability is consistently linked to stronger student outcomes, researchers argue that governance breakdowns carry direct academic consequences.

Here are several research-backed strategies for��reducing conflicts:

Define roles clearly and in writing

Research shows that the most effective boards follow a shared district vision when creating policies to improve student achievement,��leaving policy implementation and day-to-day operations to the superintendent and staff.

The Washington Association of School 91心頭istrators’ brief recommends that districts formalize this division of responsibilities in written policy, with explicit guidelines specifying that board members should not direct staff members other than the superintendent.

Adopt a code of civility

Superintendent and school board teams should consider adopting a code of civility to ensure respectful, productive meetings. Districts should include representatives from all stakeholder groups when developing these policies.

Research supports training staff in civil discourse and holding information sessions for community members. Civility policies also set a behavioral standard for students, families and the wider school community.

Use values-based dialogue when disputes arise

Superintendents are well-positioned to serve as neutral facilitators who can affirm multiple viewpoints without taking sides and frame disagreements as problems to be solved collectively.

Harvard Law School’s Program on Negotiation that facilitators:

• Help participants separate individual interests from stated positions.
• Build relationships through a common cause.
• Appeal to shared values, and treat areas of disagreement as opportunities for value creation rather than zero-sum contests.

Boards in districts with higher student achievement use program data, test scores, and other measures to inform their decisions, research shows. Strong, collaborative leadership between boards and superintendents is another cornerstone of strong student performance.

District 91心頭istration uses artificial intelligence to support research and drafting, with all content reviewed and verified by the author.

91心頭+: Superintendents and cabinet-level leaders can sign up for a to 91心頭+ to livestream “Leading Through the Noise: Staying Grounded in a Politicized Environment” with Dr. Quintin Shepherd on April 28.

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Although the majority of school board seats are formally nonpartisan, 88% of school board members identify or lean toward one of the two major political parties, according to from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, an education reform think tank.

The research suggests that roughly 41% of board members identify as Democrats, compared to 43% of U.S. adults nationally; 47% lean Republican, compared to 45% of the general public.

While these figures make it clear that boards reflect the political leanings of the country, their priorities often skew from the top-of-mind issues important to��their constituents. For instance, U.S. adults are more likely to see teachers’ unions as a positive force (43%) than are school board members (37%).

School boards are also more likely than the general public to give their schools an A or B grade. Relevant to current federal policy, only 29% of school boards support charter schools, compared to 45% of the wider population.

“Only about half of school board members hold positions on polarizing issues that match the positions of the dominant party in their districts,” the report reads, “but enrollment-weighted estimates show that the majority of students are represented by board members with views that align with local politics.”

Due to scattered participation in school board elections, members may feel less accountable as community dissatisfaction intensifies, resulting in a “combustible combination” in an era of increased political polarization.

The authors recommend several reforms for education leaders and those with strong connections with their local and state policymakers:

• School choice campaigns must anticipate resistance from school boards, even when local demand is strong.
• Holding school board elections in November and even-numbered years (at the same time as major national elections) could make the process more democratic.
• Candidates should be more transparent about their views on district performance and what needs to change. Similarly, local ed-reform advocates and media should pay more attention to who is running and their viewpoints on hot-button education issues.

“More politics and transparency might sound like a strange prescription for our polarized and noisy time, but it may just be the cure for a system that has become unrepresentative, unresponsive, and unwilling to embrace change,” the report reads.

More from 91心頭: Ranking the nation���s best school districts

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This has been the standard for two decades, but these tests rarely connect to other assessments students take throughout the year. The disconnect can create mixed messages for families, disjointed results for educators, and unnecessary time spent on testing.

Recently, as part of an effort to encourage innovation and boost academic achievement, the U.S. Department of Education invited states to apply for approval of alternative assessment models.

A growing number of states���including Florida, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, and Alaska���have adopted more comprehensive and streamlined systems that assess students multiple times across the school year. While the models vary, the shared goal is to gather more timely, actionable data about student progress, rather than relying on a single snapshot at the end of the year.

This change may seem technical, even arcane, but it represents a fundamental rethinking of how we measure and support learning���and it has significant implications for students, teachers, and families.

Time to adjust and intervene

Traditional spring summative exams were originally designed to provide data on the system���s performance at the year���s end. However, by the time results are released, students have already moved on to the next grade, with new teachers.

This delay limits the value of test scores for instructional planning or targeted support. In contrast, a coherent system of assessments at multiple points throughout the year can provide real-time information, helping educators adjust instruction and intervene before students fall too far behind.

States have been implementing these systems in different ways. is the most closely linked to curriculum, and it recently completed its first full year of testing.

As part of its roll-out, districts identified the specific curriculum they use in math and then selected 3-5 mini ���test-lets��� in each of the testing windows to determine which content students should be tested on. This allowed teachers to evaluate student performance as close as possible to when they received instruction, gave them immediate feedback, and allowed districts to monitor consistency across specific content areas.

Meanwhile, in Alaska, all students complete fall and winter interim assessments and then take a spring summative test. The spring test is aligned to the fall and winter assessments and provides a within-year growth measure while also standing on its own.

This combination results in both a summative score with a grade-level proficiency determination tied to state-level standards���like the traditional spring summative test offered in most other states���in addition to offering feedback throughout the year. Together, this model gives educators, parents, and students a more coherent picture of progress.

Starting this year, will have a slightly different version that provides more district choice. They can opt into a system with three interim assessments plus a short, standards-aligned summative test, or stick with just the one end-of-year exam designed to provide information for both purposes. This option reflects strong local interest in the combination of both interim and summative assessments.

More useful, less stressful and more connected

These shifts may not seem groundbreaking, but they are important indicators of the evolving way we think about assessment. The new systems offer a more holistic view of student growth and learning, smoothing out anomalies from one exceptionally good or bad day of testing and capturing progress over time.

As state leaders continue to work with local communities to build coherence, the systems will become more streamlined and efficient, leaving more time for meaningful instruction based on the assessment results.

That said, there are risks. Particularly, more frequent assessments could add to students��� testing time without adding clear instructional value.

To be effective, these systems must be closely aligned with state standards and provide rapid feedback to teachers about where students need additional support. Assessments should minimize classroom disruption, integrate seamlessly into the learning process, and return results quickly enough to inform instruction.

Importantly, the shift to these types of testing models is not just a technical adjustment���it raises questions about the purpose of assessment: Is it primarily about accountability or about informing instruction? Can we create a coherent system that meets a variety of needs while minimizing testing time?

Done well, these advances in state testing systems���even if incremental���can make assessments more useful, less stressful and more connected to teaching and learning. That���s especially important for those who have historically been underserved and who remain behind.

The once-a-year model is superficial in providing parents and educators with the information they desire, but the new models continue to gain momentum because they promise a better way to evaluate student progress and close those information gaps.

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Threats are increasing as the Trump administration moves to shut down the Department of Education and stifle diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in K12 and higher education, noted by the university’s Bridging Divides Initiative.

The Department of Education has also launched a wave of civil rights investigations, mostly targeting the participation of transgender athletes in women’s sports and restrictions on Native American mascots.

Officials face “insults, harassment, threats, or physical attacks,” the report warns.

“The data reveal that school board officials across the country are facing high levels of hostility���including threats that spill over into their personal and family lives���undermining their ability to govern effectively and safely,” says the report, which features a survey of more than 820 school board members and dozens of more in-depth interviews.

“Yet even at a time of heightened risk,” the report notes, “officials remain deeply committed to serving their students and their communities, and many have developed effective frameworks to push back on hostility.”

The survey found that board members worry the hostility will spill over into the school climate and harm students. Women, minorities and younger school board officials reported higher rates of threats and anxiety, which in turn, can “reduce engagement in key activities, such as working on controversial topics or running for re-election.”

Threats and hostility surge when various groups or individuals inject national politics into local district affairs, the report concluded. Board members, for example, blamed anti-LGBTQ groups for thrusting local issues into the national spotlight, often using social media to stir further controversy.

“Officials stress the importance of transparency, professionalism, and collaboration to mitigate the impacts of hostility, but point to insufficient training, outdated policies, and limited law enforcement support as current barriers,” the report adds.

3 ways to confront threats against school officials

Local and state leaders, administrators, school boards and law enforcement can take several steps to reduce risk, strengthen support systems and better prepare board members to contend with threats. The study recommends that officials:

1. Provide safety and de-escalation training for school board officials. These resources should be proactive, formalized and tailored to local contexts.
2. Create training programs that guide law enforcement and local government officials to identify and mitigate threats and harassment.
3. Support trusted leaders and board colleagues to engage in proactive, unified communication with constituents.

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The district where she works in Hartford, Connecticut, terminated her contract because the COVID-19 relief money that covered her salary was about to dry up. Newer teachers such as Popoca were the first to be cut. Her students wrote letters urging school board members to change their minds.

Popoca, the founding adviser of the multilingual student club, worried she would lose bonds with Latino students she had taught for two years who identify with her culturally as a Latina and as one of the few teachers who speaks Spanish at the school.

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Home to more than 20,000 students, the Palm Springs Unified School District rests on the western side of the valley. More than 90% of its students come from underrepresented and socioeconomically disadvantaged families. However, it’s a district whose student body actively engages and collaborates with its leadership as they take advantage of the many leadership opportunities given to them, one of which is the ability to serve as a board member.

In April, the district it’d be paying its five student board members a stipend of nearly $300 a month for attending meetings. The idea was first brought up by board member Sergio Espericueta��after the adoption of a new state law, , which amended California’s education code.

“I was right there with him,” says Superintendent Tony Signoret. “This was a brilliant idea.”

The amendment allows school districts to award compensation and/or course credit to its student board members. Signoret says the students, who are selected through an election process by their peers, can comment on anything that’s on the board agenda, though they only have preferential voting rights.

“They can comment on any topic on the agenda other than anything that’s personnel, legal or confidential-related,” he explains. “That’s the only aspect where they don’t participate.”

Elevating voices

Each student board member is part of its Associated Student Body (ASB), a leadership group that represents and advocates for their peers. To ensure their decisions accurately reflect the needs of their student body, the board requires its student members to provide reports.

“Every session where there’s a student board member, they provide a report on what’s going on on their campus,” says Signoret. “They’ve also evolved into representing the feeder schools. The students have broadened their reports to include middle schools and elementaries that feed into their high schools.”

More from 91心頭: Deepfakes spell trouble for leaders. Here���s some advice

Oftentimes, the student board members’ ASB teams will be present at the board meeting as well to listen to their reports.

“It helps enlighten them in the process, too,” says Signoret.

Bringing students to the table isn’t just important for impactful decision-making, but it teaches students civic engagement and leadership at an early age.

“Our goal is to not only educate those kids who are student board members, but the student body as a whole that their voices can be heard, they can make a difference,” he says. “We encourage them to continue to be active in their communities moving forward. I think that is so important for our society as a whole.”

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Introducing District 91心頭istration���s first annual comprehensive list���in no particular order���of some of the country���s most influential, impactful leaders and innovators in K12 education. Collectively but in varying capacities they���re helping shape the future of students across the country��� and around the world���by turning their passions into actions:

Keynote speaker and author Joe Sanfelippo helps school districts, boards and principals reshape their narratives and unlock their potential though community relationships. The retired 12-year superintendent was recognized as a preeminent K12 leader by the U.S. Department of Education for advocating personalized learning.

The 91心頭 100 education influencers list. (Keep checking back until it’s complete).

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A national keyword search conducted by K12 data tracker suggests growing momentum behind STEM-related initiatives at school board meetings as we head into summer. In this month’s dataset, Burbio highlights five states/regions where STEM-centered conversations have been most prominent in their discussions. The share of districts that have mentioned STEM (or STEAM) at least once include:

• Florida (46.3%)
• California (43.5%)
• New England (42.7%)
• Southern states [AL, MS, NC, TN and SC] (27.5%)
• Texas (13.3%)

Discussions at school board meetings in these locations have also spent significant amounts of time discussing special education:

• New England (84.6%)
• California (82.7%)
• Southern states (38.6%)
• Texas (36.3%)
• Florida (19.5%)

More from 91心頭: This California leader is using AI to expand his reach���and become multilingual

What about K12 grants?

Shifting away from school board discussions, Burbio gathered data that reflects the scope of state-specific funding for K12 schools. Below, you’ll find a chart summarizing 10 of the most common categories of grants, the total number of grants in each category and the market size for the categories listed.

Note: The data represents grants that were available during the 2023-24 school year and several that have been announced for 2024-25.

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A national keyword search conducted by K12 data tracker shows how often four big topics���including mental health and career and technical education���are covered at meetings nationally. Burbio has been providing regular updates on what school boards in the largest districts have been talking about.

Its most recent analysis looks at this year’s school board discussions in districts serving about half of the students in California, Florida, Texas, New England and parts of the Deep South. Not surprisingly, there’s some evidence of political lines being drawn, particularly around SEL and related topics.

Read more from 91心頭: Superintendent turnover���lots of new hires, just a few departures

Student mental health has been an ongoing and major concern for administrators. Mental health and related terms such as “therapist” were mentioned at nearly half of the meetings in California and more than 40% of the sessions in New England, compared to just 13% in Texas.

The SEL divide is similar, though the term was mentioned less often in all parts of the country. Social-emotional learning was covered at nearly 40% of meetings in New England and more than 20% in California, compared to around 5% in Florida and Texas, both of which have laws restricting the teaching of sensitive topics such as race and LGBTQ issues.

CTE and security

Regional divides are narrower for career preparedness and safety. CTE was on the agenda at nearly 75% of Florida school boarding meetings, 63% in California and half of the meetings in the South.

Security was most common in Florida (78% of meetings), Texas (64%) and New England (54%).

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Competition for early talent is significant. , companies of every size and industry, across nearly every state are ���facing unprecedented challenges trying to find enough workers to fill open jobs. Right now, the latest data shows that we have 9.5 million job openings in the U.S., but only 6.5 million unemployed workers.���

Students, meanwhile, are considering their plans after high school at a much younger age. Some 30% of those enrolled in Connections Academy schools, tuition-free, online public schools for grades K-12, begin thinking about their careers in the 6th to 8th grade.

More from 91心頭: No one talks about superintendent mental health. Leaders want that to change

And they have many more options now���from taking advanced courses to participating in dual degree programs and earning micro-credentials, all that will save them time and money in college and career.

These facts put school leaders in the perfect position to help employers understand how to attract the next generation utilizing an early talent playbook:

1. Understand the types of businesses that make good school career program partners.

Look at what companies are pillars in the community and what industries they represent. This could be a big manufacturing employer, tech company or municipalities that provide necessary resources like hospitals, energy companies or government entities.

They always have volume, and often prioritize early talent development because they are usually already out in the community at schools and local events. Don���t forget about the small businesses or startups that often excite and can engage students.

2. Evaluate prospective business partners to make sure they���re a good fit.

Begin by ensuring that the values of potential business partners align with those of your school, as you���ll want your students to be in good environments and engaged with appropriate influencers. Then, identify businesses that have opportunities for employment and advancement. Next, consider whether these companies are in a growing industry and how they are performing.

3. Learn about the priorities of the business.

It���s always important to understand what these companies see as their challenges over the next three-to-five years because the talent pool they���ll need to help develop and execute innovative solutions is sitting in your classrooms right now. Some companies just want to be good community citizens and give back by partnering with schools.

But if their talent strategy aligns with their needs based on market opportunities, then having a good understanding of their future is critical. Don���t just look at the company���s existing job postings; that is only what they need today. You need to know what they need for tomorrow, which is not necessarily what they need today.

4. Position the partnership as more than a sponsorship opportunity.

These early conversations in relationship building should help companies consider your school as a true partner in their talent pipeline, not just a billboard. They should be looking at strengthening their connection to you because they view developing early talent as their secret sauce and a competitive advantage.

This is their opportunity to cultivate and interest students early in their company, so when the young people are ready, as juniors and seniors, their first choice���for jobs, apprenticeships, or internships���is the company they���ve been deeply engaged with throughout their middle and high school years.

5. Focus on the future and relationship building.

What you may find to be a challenge with some employers is their laser focus on solving their immediate needs. You must ensure those employers are focused on tomorrow, too. As a school leader, just like you want to know what skills employers are prioritizing in prospective employees to implement their long-range strategic plans, prospective partners need to understand that the talent sitting in your classrooms is critical to their future.

A question to encourage foundational relationship building is, ���How are you cultivating your future talent pool?��� Or ���How can we best prepare our students to be ready for where your company is heading in the future?��� Then you���re in a discussion about ���pre-recruitment,��� not recruitment. Pre-recruitment is the step organizations take before they begin actively recruiting prospective employees.

6. Consider all the opportunities available for your students.

Often, companies don’t want to engage high school students because of age restrictions around hiring or bringing them into their facilities. Companies can engage with these students through exploration opportunities.

As you���re evaluating the business, take a test run. Think more broadly than having a name brand company set up a booth at your career fair or a CEO speak to the whole school. Ask if they���ll send a representative to your school to speak with students about the available pathways to work at their company.

I often recommend schools prioritize inviting professionals who are early in their career���maybe they���ve graduated from high school or college in the last few years. The goal is to have an employee or leader that has a voice that will resonate with students, as they convey a path that seems attainable for them.

Signal you���re serious by asking about internships, apprenticeships, and mentorships, even though those options are rare for high school students. Their response will tell you how open they are to engaging early talent and whether they���re valued as part of their workforce.

7. Establish ways of working, processes, goals, and outcomes.

Once you���ve landed the partnership, one of the early action items should be to determine a check-in cadence and timeline of how often and when you will engage. You should also work together to determine the goals and outcomes that each of you wants at the end of the year. Everyone should be clear about what success looks like.

Visualize what the headline in the local news will be about your partnership and plan for how you want to tell your impact story. And prioritize quality over quantity. It���s better to have five partnerships with organizations that you’re continuing to build and cultivate than 20 who only hang a banner on the outside of your school for advertisement.

8. Work with the right people.

Often the person the school engages with depends on the size of the company. It could be a plant manager or the head of a hospital. If it’s a small startup company, it could be the CEO.

In general, the person you’re typically going to work with in an average size organization is likely in community engagement, corporate social responsibility, workforce engagement, marketing, or human resources.

9. Check out community colleges.

One great way to learn more about partnerships is to work with the community college in your area. They are always dialed into the local businesses, which look at community colleges as talent pipelines, prioritizing early talent and looking to hire. As the leader of a middle or high school, what you want is for these businesses to understand that they should begin their recruitment process earlier.

Go for the win, which initially might be just introducing students to the organization. Or it might be creating brand awareness that sets the stage for career program development.

When you get companies to begin having beneficial engagement with your school and your students, they���ll start to lean in. They���ll develop creative ways to expand opportunities and remove barriers because their experience with your students is humanized and not transactional. This important shift is key to building a sustainable relationship that results in your students��� successful transition to college and career.

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