The Toronto District School Board launched a summer school called Power Your Future, or PYF. PYF sites feature shared leadership between students and adults, which is a primary component of Meaningful Student Involvement.
Starting with the commitment of individual school site principals, Power Your Future wanted to make sure all student voices are heard and considered, and recognize when particular student voices are being silenced. The principal of one site wrote, “The voices of summer school students are often those that remain silent. Yet ideas and opinions of students who might be struggling in school are perhaps the most important voices for administrators to hear and understand.” *
Through a variety of activities, students were able to take action and learn what they wanted to in schools. By the end of the summer, students were running cooperative games and activities for all of the other summer school students.
Using the Ladder of Student Involvement, this program actively moved students from being passive recipients of adult-driven learning towards becoming active partners throughout their education. That is a great goal all schooling should follow.
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