Sources for the Students on School Boards Toolkit

This is the SoundOut Students On School Boards Toolkit by Adam Fletcher. It includes research, examples and more. SoundOut offers professional development and training! For more information contact us.

This page features the sources for the SoundOut Students on School Boards Toolbox.

The SoundOut Students on School Boards Toolbox is a compilation of research from a variety of sources by Adam Fletcher for SoundOut. All information is current to the best of our knowledge; however, errors may be present. We invite anyone to submit corrections, additions and further information in the comments section of each page or by contacting us directly.

Historical data throughout the SoundOut Students on School Boards Toolbox was taken from

“Do You Need (or Want) Students on the School Board?” by R.A. Place for California School Boards, 9 in 1972;
Student rights and responsibilities: Courts force schools to change by R.P. Kleeman for the National School Public Relations Association in 1972; and,
“Student Representatives Serving with Boards of Education” by D.L. Towler for the American Association of School Administrators in 1975

Much of the state education agency data that is included herein was compiled by Zachariah Webb for the Kentucky Department of Education. For his report, entitled “Meeting Kentucky’s Educational Needs: Proficiency, Achievement Gaps, & the Potential of Student Involvement,” Webb contacted each education department in all fifty states in the United States.

Most of the district-level data included the SoundOut Students on School Boards Toolbox was taken from the National School Board Association “Students Serving on Local School Boards Study” which was last updated in 2009. In several circumstances where data came from additional sources, including newspapers and websites, links are provided on the relevant pages.

SoundOut conducted an informal interview with many state agencies and school districts in order to round out the information that was missing in the Students on School Boards Toolbox. Between August and November 2014, we contacted almost 100 individuals by phone or email at least once. Education agencies involving students frequently allowed us to talk with appropriate staff who were intimately involved in the process. We then asked more detailed questions about how students were included and how students were selected. Several of these conversations also included informal questions about the effectiveness of student members and whether student diversity was a priority or a concern. However, we did not talk with every state education agency or school district we sought to, and because of that there may be state education departments or boards not listed in this report that do involve students. All attempts have been made to be as thorough and accurate as possible; we invite anyone to share corrections, additions and further information in the comments section of each page or by contacting us directly.

SoundOut thanks the following people for their assistance with our Students on School Boards Toolbox (note that many have changed positions since they were interviewed):

Harry Gamble, Alaska Department of Education and Early Development
Greg Geeting, California State Board of Education
Pam Bergin & Elizabeth Rivera, Connecticut State Department of Education
Lana Mito, Hawai‘i Department of Education
Lee Patton, Illinois State Board of Education
Jeff Zaring, Indiana Department of Education
Bev Adams, Iowa Department of Education
Carolyn Witt Jones, Partnership for Kentucky Schools
Barbara Freiberg, Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education
Shawn Stelow, Maryland State Department of Education
Lisa Bishop, Maryland Governor’s Office on Service and Volunteerism
Donna Taylor, Massachusetts Department of Education
Gaye Sorenson, Minnesota Department of Children, Families, & Learning
Joy Milam, Mississippi Department of Education
Ben Smilowitz, Missouri Office of the Governor
Steve Meloy, Montana Board of Public Education
Derek Duncan, former Montana student board member
LaDonna Bird, Nevada Department of Education
Marjan Hajibandeh, former Nevada student board member
New Jersey State Board of Education Office
Betsy West, North Carolina State Board of Education (even though she is a Duke fan)
Reginold Hollie, North Carolina Office of the Governor
Phyllis Childers, Tennessee Department of Education
Julie Perrey, Tennessee Office of the Governor
Charity Clark, Vermont Office of the Governor
Dr. Cynthia Cave, Virginia Department of Education
Greg Williamson, Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
Lacey Androsko, former Washington student board member
Brooke Haycock, Education Trust
Dottie Gray, National School Board Association
Adam King, student activist
Kari Kunst, student activist

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