School leaders often overlook an important source of information on how they could serve students better: students themselves. The “student voice” movement seeks to remedy this by showing administrators productive ways to solicit student input on such matters as school climate, graduation rates, and even teacher turnover. And researchers have identified five methods that are particularly effective to support student voice initiatives, McREL’s Bryan Goodwin and Samantha E. Holquist (a specialist in student voice) write in the March 2020 edition of ASCD’s Educational Leadership magazine.
The five methods Goodwin and Holquist present in the article are: Clearly define students’ roles and responsibilities, identify adult allies and mentors, provide students with professional learning, offer multiple forums for student participation, and listen to all voices.
