ASCD Annual Content
Recorded SessionIntroductions (5 minutes)
-Content: Brief introductions of the presenters and an overview of the session objectives.
-Engagement: Community building/connection activity, asking participants to share their own experiences with student voice (optional partner or group discussion).
Establishing the Need and Value for Student Voice (5 minutes)
-Content: Present data and research for why student voice is essential in modern education, referencing challenges such as equity, student agency, and the need for more inclusive decision-making.
-Engagement: Polling the audience (through physical movement or show of hands) to gauge how many participants already implement student voice practices in their contexts.
Relevant Research: Benefits of Co-Constructed Policies (5 minutes)
-Content: Share research findings from experts like Marzano, Hammond, and others about the importance of student agency in creating equitable learning environments.
-Engagement: Discussion prompts where participants reflect on how their current practices align (or don’t align) with the research presented.
Examples of Need and Student Voice in Action (25 minutes)
-Content: Provide concrete examples of areas of need identified at your school and how student voice was incorporated to address these, such as student feedback forms, townhalls, and student focus groups.
-Engagement:
Participants will work in pairs or small groups to discuss similar areas of need at their own schools and whether student voice is used to address those needs.
Groups will share their ideas or current practices with the larger audience.
Time for Q&A during this portion for participants to ask questions about implementation strategies.
Forecasting Future Growth (10 minutes)
-Content: Discuss the potential for further integrating student voice in school policy, highlighting the benefits seen at your school. Include a reflection on how this practice has brought value to your school, students, and educators.
-Engagement: Participants will be encouraged to reflect and share one area they plan to apply or expand student voice in their schools.
Q&A (Remaining time)
-Content: Open forum for questions, allowing participants to gain further clarity on any points or explore specific issues they are facing.
-Engagement: Active dialogue and peer-to-peer exchange of ideas.
Engagement Tactics Throughout
-Peer-to-peer interaction: Participants will frequently share and discuss ideas in small groups or pairs.
-Polling/Physical Movement: Non-technology-based polling through physical movement or visual indicators (e.g., raising hands).
-Reflection prompts: Periodic questions to encourage participants to reflect on their own practices and ideate on potential applications at their sites.
Relevance to the Educational Field
In today’s rapidly changing educational landscape, fostering student voice is essential for creating responsive and equitable learning environments. This session will demonstrate how real-time student feedback forms, townhall meetings, and focus groups were successfully implemented to gather student input, empowering them as active participants in shaping school policies and instructional practices. By incorporating authentic student feedback into decision-making, schools can address student needs more effectively and promote student agency, SEL, and equity in ways that align with the challenges of today’s world. The strategies presented are based on research from leading educators like Bettina Love, Goldhi Muhhamed, Zaretta Hammond, Claude Steele, Joe Feldman, and Robert Marzano aligning with the latest pedagogical research based practices. Practices and approaches from the national equity project informed our work.
Educational Significance
Our model moves beyond traditional compliance-based education and fosters student agency, self-advocacy, and critical thinking. Through authentic channels of student voice, we have improved student engagement, trust, and belonging, which are foundational for effective learning. Our approach has led to adjustments in policies to better serve student well-being and has addressed equity issues by validating students’ lived experiences. Teachers, supported by instructional coaches, now have access to data that informs instructional improvements, creating a collaborative environment where students and educators co-create the learning process. This model provides a roadmap for creating an inclusive, equitable educational space that addresses the diverse needs of students.
Ease of Replication
The strategies we implemented are replicable at other school sites. At a school-wide level can introduce student feedback forms, hold townhalls, or convene focus groups to gather student input. At the classroom level, teachers can build trust and relationships to solicit honest feedback and foster dialogue about instructions, curriculum, and classroom procedures. However, for these strategies to succeed, school leaders must be genuinely committed to using the feedback they receive. The authenticity of the approach is crucial; without a sincere intent to act on student feedback or provide transparent reasons when changes are not possible, the trust and engagement of students will diminish. Participants will learn how to foster a culture of humility and openness among educators and administrators to ensure students feel valued as contributors to their learning environment.
Value to Participants
Participants in this session will leave with a deeper understanding of how to include student voice in meaningful ways that enhance their school’s culture and instructional practices. By involving students in policy development and instructional feedback, schools can create more effective, inclusive environments. Attendees will see firsthand how leveraging student perspectives leads to more effective policy implementation and stronger educator-student relationships, ultimately resulting in more time dedicated to learning. Our model empowers students as partners in education and provides educators with actionable data to create more targeted, equitable support for student learning and well-being.
Presenter Knowledge and Experience
With over 40 years of combined experience in education, leadership, and change management, we have been implementing student-centered strategies throughout our careers as educators. Our backgrounds in critical literacy, instructional design, DEI and educational leadership have guided our efforts to foster student voice and agency. We have established a flattened leadership structure that allows for collaborative decision-making, both among educators and with students. Our dedication to using current research and best practices ensures that our approach is evidence-based and scalable, providing attendees with both practical strategies and a theoretical foundation for creating student-centered learning environments.
https://www.nationalequityproject.org/frameworks/liberatory-design
https://www.facinghistory.org/
"Dear White Teachers: You Can't Love Your Black Students If You Don't Know Them". Education Week, March 18, 2019. - Bettina Love
Cultivating genius: An equity model for culturally and historically responsive literacy. Scholastic: New York. 2020 -Gholdy Muhammad
Muhammad, G. E., *Dunmeyer, A. D., *Starks, F. D. & Sealey-Ruiz, Y. (2020). Historical voices for contemporary times: Learning from Black women educational theorists to redesign
teaching and teacher education. Theory into Practice.
Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students (Corwin, 2014) - Zaretta Hammond
Whistling Vivaldi and Other Clues to How Stereotypes Affect Us (2010)- Claude Steele
Grading for Equity: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How It Can Transform Schools and Classrooms, 2018 - Feldman
Marzano, Robert J. The art and science of teaching: A comprehensive framework for effective instruction. Ascd, 2007.
Learner-Centered Innovation: Spark Curiosity, Ignite Passion and Unleash Genius 2018 Katie Martin
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