In the ever-evolving landscape of education, centering improvement efforts around the voices, experiences, and perspectives of students has become more than just a trend; it is a vital approach to achieving equity and excellence in schools.
Partners program coordinators Tisha Markette and Rydell Harrison, with their extensive backgrounds in education leadership and equity training, are at the forefront of this movement. They say improvement is not about finding a one-size-fits-all solution, but about being open to continuously learning and adapting. This requires a shift away from the idea that adults always know best and toward a more collaborative approach that values the lived experiences of students.
“When school was originally designed, it was to separate the learned and the laborers. It was ‘We’re going to teach you the information we feel you need to know and how to be compliant,’” said Rydell, referring to Paolo Freire’s “banking” model of education. This model emphasizes teacher-centric learning, where students are absorbers of information, and is considered outdated by many education professionals today, who believe that to meet the increasing demands and complexities of today’s world, students need to be active participants in their education.
“We’re trying to help kids be able to solve future problems that may not yet exist,” Rydell said. “This starts by seeing students as meaning makers rather than knowledge recipients.”
Transformative Student Voice
Across the field, pundits, practitioners, and scholars are pointing to a need for student voice. The concept of “transformative student voice” contrasts with more traditional forms of student involvement. It involves engaging students, particularly those whose voices are not typically heard, in identifying challenges and co-creating solutions.
Rydell addresses this in a book he co-authored with Isobel Stevenson, called Equitable School Improvement: The Critical Need for the Human Side of Change. “True equity in schools requires us to move beyond surface-level involvement and create opportunities for authentic student engagement—where students are not just participants, but active contributors to shaping their learning environments.”
Rydell underscored that transformative student voice is not a zero-sum game. “Some people worry that if we work toward goals for those children who are struggling the most in our schools, it might take away from students who are doing well,” said Rydell. “This leads to performative representation of one set of students, like students with high honors. Our goal is to find out what it will take to get school to work for everyone.”
Tisha and Rydell pointed to the work of Shelley Zion, professor of urban education at Rowan’s College of Education, who says that true transformative student voice contrasts with what she calls “symbolic” or “consultation” (one time conversations) student voice. This can occur when adults only ask students what the theme for the prom should be or invite them to be on student council.
To illustrate the kind of transformative student voice Tisha and Rydell advocate for, they shared an example of working with a predominantly white school that experienced a racial incident.
“The student group in charge of working through the issue was the Diversity Club; they decided they wanted to bring in some outside folks to help,” said Rydell of how he and Tisha came to work with the school.
“This is the first step of student voice. When students tell you what they need, believe them.”
The student voice in this situation was more authentic and impactful than is typical because school leaders entrusted students with the power to help solve a problem that directly affected them. As a result, students were passionate about sharing their stories and working with school leaders, and they were instrumental in guiding the school’s response and shaping the school’s anti-racist agenda.
“The answer is in the room,” Tisha said. “The people who are closest to the challenges are the ones who have the answers.”
Building Relationships of Trust
Trust is essential for students to feel safe in sharing their voices, especially when discussing sensitive issues. As outside consultants, PEL’s facilitators often serve as “brokers of trust,” helping to bridge the gap between students and school staff.
“It’s all about relationships,” Tisha said. “Every child has to feel they have a meaningful and trusting relationship with at least one adult in the school. What’s interesting is that even though there could easily be a mistrust of adults, what I’ve found is that all it takes for students to invest is believing that someone will really listen and respond. It’s a much easier on-ramp than people might think.”
Rydell echoes this sentiment and said as an elementary school principal, he saw that educators were asking why students were doing certain things and were making up erroneous hypotheses. He said, “Based on our biases, we make default diagnoses, which can lead to blanket solutions.”
An experience Rydell had with a second grader named Grayson illustrates the power of listening to students, even at a young age.
“Grayson spent a lot of time in my office; he was my little buddy,” Rydell recalled. “One day, he read the mission statement that hung in my office and he asked what it meant. We went through the entire statement, one bullet at a time, until he understood it.”
This experience led Rydell to think about the disconnect between adult intentions and student experience and made him wonder what perspective other students could offer. As a result, he made it a point to get student feedback on decisions and initiatives that affected them. He said educators typically engage high school students in this way, but even in second grade, kids can give valuable feedback and gain more ownership of their education.
Tisha agreed and said, “Once you find the power of student voice, you’ll find every opportunity you can to talk with a student.”
What’s Next
Partners will be hosting a three-session virtual convening about student voice, with the first session taking place on October 9. These sessions will be geared towards adults–teachers, leaders, coaches, and support staff–and will challenge participants’ mental models. The virtual sessions will be followed up by an in-person convening featuring adults and students, which will take place in January. Read more about our student voice convenings here.
To learn more about how you can get involved with Partners’ work on student voice, contact Tisha or Rydell.
