The majority of California's school boards serve districts that enroll 2,500 or fewer students, yet rural and small-enrollment local educational agencies (LEAs) are chronically underrepresented in education policy design and research. Board members can also face challenges accessing professional learning communities or peer collaboration, especially in rural or geographically isolated communities. This session presents the Small School District Advisory Workgroup, a CSBA-convened body of small and rural district board members, as a working model for practitioner-driven governance research and advocacy. Since its 2023 launch, the workgroup has generated a statewide study of dual-role superintendent-principals, inspired legislation and contributed to its successful advocacy, built a shared repository of support services, and produced a growing library of promising local practices. Presenters will unpack the workgroup's structure, meeting cadence, and feedback mechanisms, then focus on what is transferable: How a standing practitioner advisory can surface under-studied research questions and connect the education policy perspectives of leaders with the Legislature and state agencies. Attendees will leave with recommendations for building similar practitioner-researcher partnerships.
