Student voice across contexts: Fostering student agency in today’s schools

ABSTRACT

Student voice is a concept and a set of approaches that position students alongside credentialed educators as critics and creators of educational practice. Student voice and student agency are closely linked when school stakeholders connect the sound of students speaking with students having the power to influence practices and analyses of education. In this article I draw on empirical studies conducted in a range of contexts to present an overview of approaches to student voice that foster student agency. These approaches focus on students working with teachers and researchers to analyze classroom practice, engage in research through various methods, and author and coauthor texts, all with the goal of maximizing and democratizing education for everyone involved. Implications of this discussion include suggestions for teachers, school principals, teacher educators, and researchers regarding how to support student voice such that it fosters student agency.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional Resources

1. SpeakUp website http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/students/speakup/

One of several projects through the Ontario Student Voice initiative, initiated by the Ministry of Education in Ontario, Canada, through which thousands of students in grades 7–12 have actively led or participated in more than 10,000 projects in hundreds of schools. Student Voice aims to promote student engagement and success in Ontario’s schools by listening to and learning from students. Student Voice provides students with a variety of ways to share their ideas with their school, the education community and the ministry about what would help support their engagement in their learning. Student Voice can help students take action to shape their learning environment while they build their skills.

2. Up for Learning website https://www.upforlearning.org/

UP for Learning is a nonprofit organization in Vermont, USA, dedicated to amplifying the role of youth as partners and agents of change in education to ensure that youth: own their learning; participate actively in school change; have personal power and purpose; possess leadership skills, and are civically engaged. In pursuit of these outcomes, UP for Learning crafts innovative, student-centered education initiatives and supports schools with customized training, coaching, graduate courses, professional development, and online resources.

3. SoundOut website https://soundout.org/

Based in Olympia, Washington, USA, SoundOut works with K-12 schools to provide expert services focused on student voice, student engagement and meaningful student involvement.

Founded by Adam Fletcher, SoundOut has worked with more than 300 schools in 20 states across the United States, several Canadian provinces, and many other countries internationally. They are hired by school districts, state agencies, and education-focused nonprofits, and their website provides a wide variety of resources.