Giving Students Voice in School Reform

• In Event: The Challenges and Possibilities of Including Students in School Leadership

Abstract

Using Zeldin’s (2012) youth-adult partnership model as the theoretical basis for this intervention, students from 20 of the lowest performing high schools in Michigan created student “advisories” that engaged in projects to support school improvement. Zeldin’s model focuses on supporting positive youth development through authentic civic engagement (Christens and Peterson 2012; Flanagan and Faison 2001; Sullivan and Larson 2010; Youniss et al. 1997),. The objective of Neutral Zone’s intervention was to support student engagement as part of these schools’ reform model implementation. Preliminary survey research found 16 of 22 schools moving out of the bottom 5% of lowest performers on state benchmarks and among schools that improved school safety (65% of the cohort) graduation rates increased 18%. “Student engagement” was cited as a key program area that was important to the project’s success. In many schools, student advisory work expanded to other areas of the school’s organization and governance.

Author

• John Weiss, Neutral Zone