Too often in education, important decisions are made without engaging the people most affected: the students. By bringing students into transformation efforts, schools can catalyze improvements and train youth to lead alongside adults in defining and meeting district goals. To kick off the new year, YouthTruth outlined the protocols and strategies we’ve seen work well in various school and district settings. The result: a guidebook full of tips developed and tested by schools and district like yours.
Here’s a sneak peak:
- San Luis Coastal Unified School District and West Contra Costa Unified School District lean on student leadership groups to prepare to survey through peer messaging
- Monterey Peninsula Unified School District hosts a student “Expert Panel” to inform reflection
- High Tech High uses a“4-2-Q” protocol to review of the charter network’s data with students across campuses
- Oxnard Union High School District hosts discussions of school and district data online
Strategies are divided into school and district-level examples throughout the guidebook, but keep in mind that each approach can be modified to fit your context. These models for engagement and youth leadership involve students at every step of the feedback process — from surveying to reflection, and from prioritization to strategic planning.
Check out the full guidebook here to learn about how you can put student voice into action by engaging students in school climate data.