Student Voice Is In Pursuit of Student Representation
When school lets out for the summer, young people regain their voice, and with it, their right to a say in what they learn and do with their time. During the school year, they forfeit this freedom by sitting in classrooms to receive the education society and the government determines they need. Only forty-four percent of students report that they feel students have a voice in decision making in school. Student Voice, a student-led nonprofit organization, aims to change that, by strengthening the student movement for equitable schools. It is our hope that young people, as the consumers, also become creators of their own education.
In 2016, Student Voice embarked on a national tour to hear what students really had to say about their education, using their stories to paint a picture of the state of schools in America today. Having met over 2500 students across 47 schools in 52 cities, we have seen the deep-rooted inequities facing our school system, such as systematic racism and funding disparities. These inequities will affect the entire nation because the students of today are the workforce of tomorrow. We must equip young people with an education that allows them to meet the demands of the 21st century world.
Meanwhile, students have not been idle in their pursuit to be heard, for their perspective to be represented and reflected in the decisions that impact their daily lives nine months out of the year, sometimes more. Throughout the course of the 2016–2017 school year, students across the United States restored over 50 million in need-based funding for higher education, introduced legislation to protect student journalists in RI, introduced a bill to require districts to seek student input on curriculum, and successfully advocated for a voice in new education accountability plans for multiple states. Students are making strides to take ownership of their learning and seek representation in decision-making about it. Students from Swansea, South Carolina to Portland, Oregon, and dozens of states in between, are uniting to organize around the question: how do we, as students, shape school into an experience that better equips all its students to address an evolving and uncertain future.
Student Voice believes it is time students seek representation in order to improve their schools and communities. To that end, Student Voice is launching a national campaign, “In Pursuit of Student Representation,” that aims to organize students across the US who are advocating for issues relevant to their future. By supporting student participation in town halls and organizing forums for conversation, Student Voice aims to prioritize student centric policies and decision making.
Follow along as we amplify, aggregate and accelerate the work of students in their pursuit of representation. Or better yet, join us.
