The SoundOut Student Voice Curriculum is designed with a variety of students in mind. There are nine modules featuring several topics that can be used in a variety of classes. The unit subjects begin with The Basics of Student Voice and The Basics of Improving Schools; then, students explore roles throughout education, including: Students as Researchers; Students as Planners; Students as Teachers; Students as Evaluators; Students as Decision-Makers; and Students as Advocates.

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Unit 1: The Basics of Student Voice—The first unit is designed to introduce students to SoundOut by having students review the SoundOut Program outline. Students also define student voice, identify barriers to student voice, and brainstorm possible ways to overcome barriers to student voice in school.

Unit 2: The Basics of Improving Schools—By exploring the purpose of schools, the structure of education and the course of school reform, this unit teaches students about the process of improving schools. Students learn how to identify opportunities and barriers to successful school improvement, as well as build allies with adults within and outside of the education system.

Unit 3: Students as Researchers—This unit explore the basics of educational research, particularly focusing on student voice. Students learn how to conduct research, collect results, and analyze findings, and how to develop action-oriented responses to research findings.

Unit 4: Students as Planners—This unit illustrates how a variety of school activities—building design, program development, personnel management—are central to school change. Students identify their roles therein, and learn barriers and options to engage student voice.

Unit 5: Students as Teachers—In this unit students discover how being a teaching facilitates learning learner helps them become good teachers. They explore different teaching styles, identify different ways learning happens, and conduct learning activities for their peers. Students also learn how teaching others about student voice can empower themselves, their peers, and adults to improve schools.

Unit 6: Students as Evaluators—Students learn about evaluating themselves, their peers, their classes, and their school by actually evaluating student voice in their school. They analyze their findings, and identify possible responses.

Unit 7: Students as Decision-Makers—Focusing on decision-making as a change-oriented process, this unit illustrates different decision-making methods, outcomes, and avenues. Students learn about changes occurring in schools, and how to identify appropriate avenues for action throughout the education system.

Unit 8: Students as Advocates—Students discover a variety of advocacy activities that are already available to students, how to strengthen those activities, and how to start new campaigns for change. A variety of strategies are explored, and success stories are analyzed for sessions.

Unit 9: Reflect, Examine, and Act—In this unit students review the entire span of action they’ve identified through the SoundOut Program, assess their knowledge of the skills and issues therein, and plan next steps for action in their own education.

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