Student-Led Advisory Councils or Boards

Asking students their opinions about decisions that affect them in their school community is a great place to start listening to learners. However, taking it a step further puts students at the decision-making table. Inviting students to participate in school or district-wide decisions by being on the board, a part of a student government or on an ongoing advisory council gives them a direct way to influence decisions that affect them and their peers. A step even further asks learners to lead these organizations and facilitate meetings. 

You can learn more about listening to learners and involving them in decision-making in our course, Amplify Learner Voice.

Bright Spots

Student Board Member

Source: https://www.aacps.org/smob

Anne Arundel County in Maryland has a student member of the board who has full voting power like their adult counterparts. Students are elected by the regional association of student councils and appointed by the governor.

Student-Led Board

The Board at One Stone, an independent high school in Boise, ID, is always made up of more than 2/3rds students. Students on the board tackle strategic planning initiatives, budgeting, securing accreditation and more.

Student Advisory Council

By loading this video, you agree to the privacy policy of Youtube.

Student advisory councils participate in student voice retreats at Washoe County School District.

Student-Led Government

Source

Nova High School is “democratically governed by committees made up of students, teachers, parents, guardians, alumni, principal, and staff. School matters are addressed by the entire community. All have a voice and a vote on issues including managing the budget, changing class schedules and activities, staff hiring, and changing the governing system itself. Students can also participate in or create Committees for credit and fun.”

Take Input From Students

Students at Ewa Makai middle school met with students across the island of Oahu to discuss being leaders in their school and then wrote a letter to suggest additional school-wide activities and a buddy system for new students.

RESOURCES:

📖 Not your average student council

🧰 Take a Seat-a student-led initiative to create more student positions on school boards

🎧How students took on changing their school’s schedule

Questions to Consider:

  • At what level is your school or district prepared to involve students in decision making? You may start with advisory boards where they can provide input, later evolving to structures in which students can vote and have more influence on decisions. 
  • How will students be selected to participate in these opportunities? It’s important to consider an open invitation and a transparent process for selecting students. The point is that diverse student voices are heard so only selecting students who do the best in school may defeat that purpose. 
  • How will students be supported in their participation? How can adults support by stepping in but also by stepping out?

It’s Your Journey

Explore More Topics

PodcastsWebinars & Podcasts
Episode 45: Leading Together—Co-Leadership, Trust, and Redesign (with Devin Vodicka)
By loading this video, you agree to the privacy policy of Youtube.Always load Youtube videos on this site.Load VideoListen on SpotifyListen on Apple PodcastsWatch on YouTube Episode Summary: In this episode of the Learner-Centered Collaborative Podcast, host Dr. Katie Martin is joined by her Co-CEO at Learner-Centered Collaborative, Dr. Devin Vodicka, for a wide-ranging conversation…
Tools
Pathways to Possibility: Reimagining CTE in California’s Continuation High Schools
Across California, continuation high schools are creating more personalized, purposeful learning experiences for students who have often been underserved by traditional systems. These schools support young people navigating poverty, housing instability, and other complex life challenges, yet too often these students are left out of education redesign efforts. Career Technical Education (CTE) is a…
Blog
Embracing Possibility at the Start of a New School Year
This year, my daughter begins her journey as a fourth-grade teacher. Over the past few weeks, I’ve had the privilege of helping her set up her classroom and hear about her experiences during new teacher orientation. During one of our conversations, she asked me, “If you were still a superintendent, what would you be…