Chapter 21 - Increasing Student Voice in School Reform

Summary

The early findings from the research reviewed in this chapter demonstrate the ways in which including student voice could strengthen the implementation of educational change, increase attention to equity and personalized environments, improve civic engagement, and strengthen developmental outcomes for youth. In student voice initiatives, students have the agency to participate in discussions about the core operations of schools, including teaching and learning and schoolwide decision-making practices. Student voice initiatives can be considered as school-based forms of youth-adult partnerships. A growing body of research being conducted in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada has examined the purpose and outcomes of student voice initiatives. These studies have found that student voice can greatly affect high schools, including providing important leverage for conceptualizing and implementing change. The inclusion of students in the reform process provides many potential benefits with little additional cost.