Student as education decision-makers

Engaging students as educational decision-makers is the practice of actively teaching

young people responsibility for their education by systematically engaging them in
making choices about learning, schooling, and the education system in areas ranging
from what affects them personally to what affects an entire student body to what affects
the entire school system.
Choosing curricula, calendar year planning, school building design, teacher hiring, and
many more issues are often seen as the duties of a school principal or teachers. Today
those roles are increasingly seen as avenues for student voice. Students are
joining boards of education at all levels, including local, district, and state boards.
Some education agencies engage students as staff in programs where they make
decisions about grant making, school assessment, and other areas.[20] Students are also
participating in decision-making by establishing and enforcing codes of conduct and in
personal education decision-making, such as choosing classes and deciding whether to
attend school.

Worldwide examples
Education reform has long been the domain of parents, teachers, school administrators
and politicians. In some nations, however, there is a growing trend of greater student
participation in scholastic affairs.
Australia[
The Connect journal, published in Melbourne, features dozens of examples of student
voice throughout education in its bi-monthly publication.
The Victorian Student Representative Council is the umbrella or peak body of students
in Victoria, Australia. It is supported with funding from the Victorian Department of
Education and Training. The VicSRC is an organisation run by secondary school
students, elected by their peers.
The New South Wales Student Representative Council is the peak student leadership
consultative and decision-making forum in New South Wales.[21]
Canada
Including student voice on district school boards was mandated by the Ontario
Education Act in 1998. Students in each one of the 72 provincial school boards are
represented by a 'pupil representative', commonly called "Student Trustee". They are
meant to represent the needs and concerns of students in discussions with the school
board administration and the province. The Ontario Student Trustees' Association,
OSTA-AECO, has become Ontario's chief student stakeholder, providing professional
development to its members and advocates for students' educational interests
represented by a 'pupil representative', commonly called "Student Trustee". They are
meant to represent the needs and concerns of students in discussions with the school
board administration and the province..[23]
Another Canadian organization of note is Learning for a Cause founded in 2004 by
educator and poet Michael Ernest Sweet Learning for a Cause which promotes student
voices for social change through creative writing and publishing opportunities for
Canadian students.
Provincial governments and Ministries of Education across Canada are also getting on
board with student engagement and student voice. Alberta Education launched Speak
Out – the Alberta Student Engagement Initiative in November 2008 and thousands of
students have been sharing their ideas on how to improve how education looks and
feels for them.
Ontario's SpeakUp initiative seeks students ideas on what strengthens their
engagement in their learning. Ontario's student voice program is centered on four main
initiatives, the Minister's Student Advisory Council (MSAC), SpeakUp projects, SpeakUp
in a Box and Student Regional Forums.
The Minister’s Student Advisory Council (MSAC) is composed of sixty students, from
Grades 7 to 12, they are selected annually to share their ideas and submit
recommendations directly to the Ontario Minister of Education. MSAC also determines
the themes for Regional Student Forums taking place during the school year. The
members of the Minister's Student Advisory Council have been selected in each year
since the inaugural year including 2010, 2011, and 2012.
Chile
A powerful example of student voice in school improvement comes from the 2006
student protests in Chile. Throughout the spring of that year, public high school students
from across the country began a series of protests, school takeovers, and negotiations
designed to bolster support for public education improvement. After seeing the massive
effect of the students, government officials met their demands and are working to
support ongoing reforms as necessitated by students.
The government's failure at meeting the core student proposals triggered the biggest
social protests in Chile since the return of democracy, in 2011.
United Kingdom[edit]
The most extensive, sustained programme of student voice research in the UK was
carried out by the late Professor Jean Rudduck (Faculty of Education, University of
Cambridge)[34] and Jean's pioneering work spanned 20 years, helping to establish the
principles of student consultation and student participation in practice, policy and
research. Jean co-ordinated the ESRC Teaching and Learning Research Programme's
Network Project, 'Consulting Pupils about Teaching and Learning' [35] and her work has
had a profound influence on the student voice movement, both in the UK and beyond.
StudentVoice is the representative body for secondary students in England. It aims to
support students in expressing their views about education by providing workshops and
a network of support with other secondary school students. The National College for
School Leadership provides career-long learning and development opportunities,
professional and practical support for England's existing and aspiring school leaders.
Their goal is to ensure that school leaders have the skills, recognition, capacity and
ambition to transform the school education system into the best in the world. [36]
The Phoenix Education Trust supports democratic education and helped to found
StudentVoice It aims to explore and support education in which children are trusted and
respected and their participation in decision-making is encouraged. [37] involver supports
schools to develop sustainable structures for effective student voice, school councils
and participation, and work with teachers and pupils in primary, secondary and special
schools.[38] involver provides training, resources, ongoing support and access to a large
UK network of schools.
Some state schools are also pushing student Voice internally and independently across
the UK. Schools like Quintin Kynaston Community Academy are now recognised for
having one of the largest and most active Student Voice 'faculties' in the country.
Ireland[edit]
In Ireland, the Irish Second-Level Students' Union (ISSU) is the national umbrella body
for second-level school Student Councils. [39]
United States[edit]
Many national organizations and media outlets across the United States have
addressed student voice recently, including KQED,[40] Edutopia,[41] the Washington Post,
and others. They are finding organizations like Student Voice, What Kids Can Do and
SoundOut, as well as local efforts happening across the country.
Pushing Boundaries Consulting, LLC is dedicated to ensuring that student voice leads a
reform in education through the Let Them Speak! Project including the work of Rebecca
Coda, Rick Jetter, and student ambassador Isaiah Sterling. [42]
SoundOut is an international organization that has promoted student voice since it was
founded in 2002.[43] In addition to projects across North America[44] and numerous
academic citations of their works, SoundOut has also been recognized by UNICEF as
"a helpful organization that focuses on promoting student voice in
schools."[45] SoundOut's founder, Adam Fletcher, is author of The Guide to Student
Voice and the forthcoming Meaningful Student Involvement Handbook. The
organization has also published several works related to meaningful student
involvement, students on school boards, and student voice.

International[edit]
The Organising Bureau of European School Student Unions (OBESSU) is the body
which connects school student unions in secondary education across Europe.[53]

Outcomes[edit]
Student voice is increasingly identified as a pillar of successful school reform, as
educational researchers, academic institutions, and educational support organizations
around the world increasingly advocate for the inclusion of students in the reform
process after identifying student voice as a vital element of student engagement.[54]

Criticism
Critical educators including bell hooks, Paulo Freire, and Henry Giroux have voiced
concern with the singular notion of a student voice. Adam Fletcher, an internationally
recognized expert on student voice, has written about this over-simplification, saying
that:[55]
It is not enough to simply listen to student voice. Educators have an ethical imperative
to do something with students, and that is why meaningful student involvement is vital to
school improvement.
This is echoed by other advocates, including Sam Levin. Levin was an eleventh grade
student in Massachusetts when he worked with adults at Monument Mountain Regional
High School and his peers to establish an independent learning program for high school
students. In a 2014 article in the Washington Post, Levin wrote,[56]
Students don't need a voice... The change involves giving something to students, but it's
not a voice. Students already have a voice. They have student senates, and student
advisory committees. When people talk about student voice, they're talking about
feedback sessions and letting students be part of hiring committees. When they say,
"Let's give students a voice," they mean, "let's give them a seat at school board
meetings." ...Don't give them a voice. Give them our schools.