Phone Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
1-800-933-ASCD (2723)
Address 1703 North Beauregard St. Alexandria, VA 22311-1714
Complete Customer Service Details
Volume 13 | Issue 13 | March 8, 2018
"I understand why this is a cool story, 'cause I'm a 17-year-old. But during the civil rights movement, they were all young. It's nothing new.” These were the words of NYC student activist Hebh Jamal, profiled last year in Teen Vogue.
Too often, student voice is treated as a novelty. But it should surprise no one that the same people who spend a majority of their time in school would have a lot of constructive ideas about it. In Parkland, Florida, students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School are using their voices to ignite the #neveragain movement, demanding action on gun reform. For these students, survivors of the latest, horrific school shooting, "There's grieving obviously, but we're breathing and coping through our voices, not through our tears," says 11th grader Cameron Kasky. This issue looks at student-led and school-based collaborations that elevate student voice and agency.
Sahar Mohammadzadeh
"Ironically, it seems we talk about everything in school but school itself," points out high school senior Sahar Mohammadzadeh. Students are the school culture and policy experts seeking and demanding to be heard.
Jaden Deal
A high school junior plugs into his potential to shape his school and community when a teacher clears a path to engagement.
Matt Presser
How likely are teens, especially teens of color, to see themselves portrayed positively in the media? A journalism class confronts the systemic silencing of student voices by creating their own catalogue of stories to populate mainstream news outlets.
Jessica Bucklin
Adults can give their perspective on school culture, but what really matters is what students are experiencing. Using student survey data to guide student- and staff-led teams, a school makes relationships and student voice the linchpin for improving school culture.
Mike Taglienti
It's amazing what students can do when they are treated as worthy of challenge and as thought contributors with ideas worth sharing.
John Weiss
Giving students permission to act on their ideas is the simplest and most transformative way to empower positive school change.
From research on student voice by the Quaglia Institute to the Student Bill of Rights, this list of links is a good primer for adult allies to the student voice movement.
A simple five-step guide created for students, by students, on how to testify in front of your local school board.
Subscribe to ASCD Express, our free email newsletter, to have practical, actionable strategies and information delivered to your email inbox twice a month.
ASCD respects intellectual property rights and adheres to the laws governing them. Learn more about our permissions policy and submit your request online.