Elevating Student Voice in Education

Students have the greatest stake in their education but little to no say in how it is delivered. This lack of agency represents a lost opportunity to accelerate learning and prepare students for a world in which taking initiative and learning new skills are increasingly paramount to success. When it...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Policy File 2019
Main Authors: Benner, Meg, Brown, Catherine, Jeffrey, Ashley
Format: Report
Language:English
Subjects:
Center for American Progress
Children & youth/Families & family life
Education
Government
Online Access:Request full text
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Summary:Students have the greatest stake in their education but little to no say in how it is delivered. This lack of agency represents a lost opportunity to accelerate learning and prepare students for a world in which taking initiative and learning new skills are increasingly paramount to success. When it comes to student engagement, there is a predictable and well-documented downward trajectory as students get older. There are limited studies that show a direct connection between student engagement and students valuing their education and opportunities to make their voices heard. Many advocates and researchers encourage schools to create opportunities for students to participate in decisions about their education as a means of increasing student engagement and investing students in their education. The authors of this report define "student voice" as student input in their education ranging from input into the instructional topics, the way students learn, the way schools are designed, and more. Increasing student voice is particularly important for historically marginalized populations, including students from Black, Latinx, Native American, and low-income communities as well as students with disabilities.