In spring 2020, West Contra Costa Unified School District launched YouthTruth surveys to hear from students in grades 5-12 and parents and guardians across their district of over 50 schools. The community input from over 10,000 students and parents helped shape the back to school plan. Watch the July Town Hall Video or read more…
At YouthTruth, we believe that Black lives matter, that speaking truth to power can change the world, and that student voices must be central to the work ahead. In keeping with our commitment to elevating student voices – especially the voices of Black students, and students whose voices are too often silenced – we are…
With schools gone virtual and live conversations with students no longer possible, listening to students can feel harder than ever. There is always an inherent challenge for teachers, administrators, and education funders in authentically listening to students, given the power dynamics at play. But now, with new challenges of physical distance and an increased potential…
Harvard Graduate School of Education lecturers Deb Helsing, Robert Kegan, and Lisa Lahey found that when adults continue to learn at their jobs they are better at creating that experience for other people. Monterey Peninsula Unified School District (MPUSD) and Pivot Learning are putting this theory of change into practice. They began by gathering data…
By Jake Arnold, communications and news specialist for the Oregon School Board Association. This article originally appeared on Thursday, July 25, 2019, in OSBA’s News Center. The Corvallis School Board’s 2018-23 goals include increasing student voice and supporting student mental health, but those goals can’t be measured by typical data points, such as graduation rates…
There’s a lot of talk about integrating student voice into school strategy. Actually doing it is harder. How can we begin to give students a say in how their schools are run? To start, it’s important to find ways to hear from every young person. Not just the loudest students but also those on the…
Jimmy Simpson Jr. is partnerships lead and equity coach for YouthTruth, a national nonprofit that helps schools measure nonacademic indicators related to school climate and academic achievement. Recent federal, state, and local data reveals there’s still a lot of work to do when it comes to ensuring discipline policies and practices are fair and equitable…
When I was a high school junior, a series of anonymous bomb threats were made at my school. I didn’t take them very seriously—usually, they meant a welcome early dismissal. Looking back, I wish my peers and I had been more appreciative. After all, we only saw threats. Since the massacre at Columbine High School…
By Sonya Heisters, the director of partnerships for YouthTruth It was April 20,1999, and I was a high school junior. Though generally a compliant student, on this day, I convinced a cute boy from drama class to cut school with me. It felt risky and fun. It felt dangerous. That evening, my 16-year-old definition of…
