Student Voice And School Governance

While student voice has been well-defined in research, how to sustain youth-adult leadership work is less understood. Students are rarely invited to lead school reform efforts, and when they are, their voice is silenced by the structural arrangements and socio-cultural conditions found in schools. This volume investigates problems with the neoliberal school reform movement, and how youth-adult partnerships have resulted in more effective reforms within schools and community organizations nationally and internationally. Stemming from an eight-year ethnographic study at a civic-themed public high school, the volume highlights the process of creating a school governance structure which produces active and informed citizens. Made up of executive, legislative and judicial branches, the program gives students the power to make, implement and review school policies and practices—a model that has found to effectively distribute leadership and trigger organizational learning, and is thus at the forefront of civic education.

Student Voice Revolution: The Meaningful Student Involvement Handbook is the brand new mastery guide focused on student voice, student engagement, student/adult partnerships and more. Containing tons of details, this book is focused on engaging all students in every school as partners in every facet of education for the purpose of strengthening their commitment to learning, community and democracy. There are more than 75 examples from the author's experience and research throughout education literature. Never before published tools, new models and useful tips are featured, along with hundreds of citations, dozens of current and historical anecdotes and more. This book also highlights unique approaches, detailed assessment and critical examinations of school activities, all of which make this unlike anything else available today. It was written for educators, students, teachers-in-training, school leaders and advocates for education reform. Student Voice Revolution is an optimistic, realistic and practical wake up call for the future of schools in democratic society. Are YOU ready for the revolution?

While student voice has been well-defined in research, how to sustain youth-adult leadership work is less understood. Students are rarely invited to lead school reform efforts, and when they are, their voice is silenced by the structural arrangements and socio-cultural conditions found in schools. This volume investigates problems with the neoliberal school reform movement, and how youth-adult partnerships have resulted in more effective reforms within schools and community organizations nationally and internationally. Stemming from an eight-year ethnographic study at a civic-themed public high school, the volume highlights the process of creating a school governance structure which produces active and informed citizens. Made up of executive, legislative and judicial branches, the program gives students the power to make, implement and review school policies and practices—a model that has found to effectively distribute leadership and trigger organizational learning, and is thus at the forefront of civic education.

High schools continue to be places that isolate, alienate, and disengage students. But what would happen if students were viewed as part of the solution in schools rather than part of the problem? This book examines the emergence of "student voice" at one high school in the San Francisco Bay area where educators went straight to the source and asked the students to help. Struggling, like many high schools, with how to improve student outcomes, educators at Whitman High School decided to invite students to participate in the reform process. Dana L. Mitra describes the evolution of student voice at Whitman, showing that the students enthusiastically created partnerships with teachers and administrators, engaged in meaningful discussion about why so many failed or dropped out, and partnered with teachers and principals to improve learning for themselves and their peers. In documenting the difference that student voice made, this book helps expand ideas of distributed leadership, professional learning communities, and collaboration. The book also contributes much needed research on what student voice initiatives look like in practice and provides powerful evidence of ways in which young people can increase their sense of agency and their sense of belonging in school.

This book explores meaningful and effective use of student voice in urban school renewal efforts through strategies that include: surveys, interviews, focus groups, visual and video projects, social media, and student participation in governance. Chapters provide a definition of student voice, context for public schooling in the United States, and introduce a framework for including student voice in school renewal processes. Examples guide readers to implementation of the framework to include student voices in diverse educational settings. Authentic voices of approximately 175 students interviewed by the authors express what it is that they really want from public schools and how pre K-12 educators can provide a structure for ongoing student participation in governance and the work of the school. The existing literature explores student characteristics such as poverty, cultural diversity, and what the experts believe students need public schools to provide. Within the research, urban public schools and technical reform are often explored and examined separately from conversations about what students want from schools, excluding opportunities for their voices and diverse perspectives to be heard. Listening to students describe instances of bullying or teachers’ low academic expectations provides educators with opportunities to address issues that impede student learning. The uniqueness of this framework for including student voice is that it provides multiple opportunities for students in any grade level to tell us what it is they want from public schools, and to make meaningful and lasting contributions to school renewal efforts.

This handbook brings together in a single volume the groundbreaking work of scholars who have conducted studies of student experiences of school in Afghanistan, Australia, Canada, England, Ghana, Ireland, Pakistan, and the United States. Drawing extensively on students’ interpretations of their experiences in school as expressed in their own words, chapter authors offer insight into how students conceptualize and approach school. The book examines how students understand and address the ongoing social opportunities for and challenges in working with other students and teachers, and the multiple ways in which students shape and contribute to school improvement.

This book demonstrates what schools can do to enhance student participation and engagement. It shows educators how to: - create opportunities for students to practice democracy and civic responsibility. - develop a "school for each kid" - get students to care Examples include - Community service - Peer Helpers - Peer Mediators - Student-directed programs and events - Student feedback to teachers - Student-led conferences - Students on interviewing committees - Students on the School Board - Student publications - Student speakers . . . and more Also highlighted in this book are the exciting and enriching activities of First Amendment Schools.

Meaningful school reform starts with your most powerful partner—your students! When you take time to listen, you’ll find that students’ aspirations can drive your school toward exciting new goals—and when students know they’re being heard, they engage meaningfully in their own academic success. Using examples drawn from student surveys, focus groups, observations, and interviews, this groundbreaking book presents a blueprint for a successful partnership between educators and students. You’ll discover how to: Ask the right questions—and understand how to build from the answers Engage students in decision-making and improvement-related processes Implement the Aspirations Framework to guide students toward their full potential