"Elementary Students Are Capable of Anything": Examining the Co-Construction of Student Voice Initiatives With an Elementary School Principal

• In Event: Aspiring and Practicing School Leaders Engaging in Participatory Action Research Alongside Minoritized Youth

Abstract

Purpose/Objective: This paper examines the ways that an elementary school principal Mrs. O (pseudonym) and a YPAR researcher, Angie (pseudonym) worked collaboratively to implement student voice initiatives defined by third-grade students at Sunflower Elementary. Over the course of two semesters, the researcher worked with Mrs. O and a group of third-grade students to better understand how school leadership engages student voices, particularly those of elementary students of color. This qualitative case study utilizes the Principal Orientations for Critical Youth Educational Leadership (POYCEL) framework (Authors, 2018) as a way to frame the case but also to situate perspectives on student voice from both the youth and school principal.

Conceptual Framework: By using the conceptual framework of POYCEL to frame this paper, I am able to see how a) students’ lived experiences inform their definitions of student voice and how school leaders honor that knowledge (Key Lever 1). Additionally, I examine how the b) dialogue between the school leader and researcher supports youth insights and what this might mean for how they are positioned (Key Lever 2) as voice leaders in the school.

Methods: For this study, I relied on arts-based methods to pursue a deeper level of collaborative inquiry with students and critical reflection with the principal in this study. Data sources for this study included a total of three semi-structured interviews with Mrs. O, conducted at the beginning, midpoint, and end of the academic school year. I met with the group of third-grade students twice a week for 12 weeks, conducting repetitive dialogue groups and eight (8) art makerspaces.

Findings & Discussion:
Key Lever 1 of POYCEL suggests that school leaders must first make the choice of committing to youth voice. In doing so, school leaders' commitments must reflect the inclusion of youth voice as a natural part of school culture (Authors, 2018). Mrs. O demonstrated this practice in nuanced and important ways in her leadership. For instance, instead of suspending students outright when teachers submitted referrals, Mrs. O would talk with students about their behaviors, frustrations, and home lives. She worked purposefully to reduce suspension data while listening to student perspectives and honoring them. While working with Angie, Mrs. O began to see how her definition of student voice was more focused on “student talk” and began to implement initiatives where she could position students to have more voice at Sunflower Elementary. Listening is an active, engaged practice requiring adults to hear children’s intentions over their own agendas and ingrained presumptions (Yoon & Templeton, 2019, p.57) Therefore, to commit to youth voice requires that the school leader and adult staff authentically listen to student perspectives in classrooms and in the larger school setting.

Significance: Mitra & colleagues (2012) posit that there is extensive research on enabling student voice in high school settings, yet more research is needed to understand student voice in the context of elementary schools. Therefore, this paper seeks to demonstrate how student voice is best supported in the elementary school setting with authentic listening and intentionality of school leadership.

Author

• Courtney C. Mauldin, Syracuse University
  Presenting Author