Your elected officials are supposed to represent you, and so they need to hear from you! Below, find resources on lots of ways to use your voice to advocate for students in your community.

• Speak at a meeting:
  Check out this session video on how to speak compellingly at a school board meeting, or use this resource to read about what makes a speech compelling and draft your own speech.

• Write an op-ed:
  Find out how to use your voice to write an effective op-ed.

• Submit testimony:
  To share your thoughts with elected officials at the local or state level, check out this guide for writing an email or submitting testimony, as well as these examples of compelling testimony.

We know that as individuals, we can have a positive impact, but it’s by working together that we change systems. If you speak at a meeting or send an email, that is an important step. But your voice is louder when you speak together with other members of your community who share your goal.

Not sure how to organize your friends, neighbors, and network? Check out this video from an Organizing 101 session, and then use this toolkit for using the Open Space Method.

So are we. At School Board School, we are working to build school systems where every child is safe, included, and educated. So what can you do?

• Start by finding other people in your community who share your concerns and get organized.

• Then, speak at school board meetings, write op-eds, get the media involved, find and support values-aligned candidates, and most importantly - keep showing up.

• Get values-aligned people to run for office, including school board! Check out these organizations that help candidates with their campaigns.

School board elections historically have low voter turnout. You can help change that!

• Post on social media about the election. Include links to trusted websites with election information and candidate guides.

• Write an op-ed to raise awareness about the election.

• Ask for a few minutes at personal or community meetings (e.g., book club or neighborhood council) to tell people that there’s an election, why it’s important to vote, and how to find more information.

• Tell your friends and family why school boards matter and the importance they play in our communities.

• Volunteer on the campaign for someone you support. It is hard hard work to run for school board. Candidates need your help with everything from writing postcards, to knocking on doors, to designing logos, to staffing polling locations, to crunching data… and more!

• Bring a friend to the polls! When you go vote, text a half dozen friends and remind them it’s Election Day and to vote for school board. Volunteer to drive friends with you to go vote!

We’re going to let you in on a little secret… the people who run for office are no different from you- they aren’t more experienced or more knowledgeable or more qualified than you are! So, if you’ve considered running for school board, RUN! There are lots of great organizations to help you put together a campaign.

Check out the organizations in this document.

Do you know other great organizations supporting candidates or their campaign staff? Tell us about them using this form and we'll add them to our list.

We have held sessions on everything from how to advocate for neurodiverse students, to how to speak at a school board meeting, to how to protect LGBTQ+ students, and much more! Browse our video library to watch + learn!

Check out the directory of our trainings

There are many organizations in our community and around the country that could use your support or that provide great opportunities for learning. This list is not exhaustive, but it’s a great place to start!

Check out these organizations

Do you know other great organizations that could use volunteers? Tell us about them using this form and we'll add them to our list.