Hiring teachers, hiring principals, hiring other school staff and hiring other education staff can provide ample opportunities to practice Meaningful Student Involvement.
Opportunities
Hiring adults to work with students throughout the education system is generally done by adults. However, Student/Adult Partnerships in hiring teachers, administrators, and other adults in schools can help foster environments that are more responsive, safe, and supportive for students and adults. Students can co-plan the hiring process with adult allies; research qualifications for the position and unique attributes; train adult hiring officials about student voice and Meaningful Student Involvement; evaluate candidates and opportunities; and make decisions throughout the process. There are examples happening across the United States.
Examples
- BOSTON: The Boston Public School district began its search for a new Superintendent in 2007. The Boston Student Advisory Council, or BSAC, cosponsored a youth forum with the school district, where it was expressed that student voice should be engaged throughout the process. BSAC lobbied to include students in the hiring process. They did not succeed in this but were able to meet with individual members of the hiring committee to present our platform and what qualities the students would like to see in a Superintendent. Students also prepared a list of expectations to be used in the hiring of the new Superintendent, and widely circulated those materials through the community partner Community Matters, at School Committee presentations, and at a forum they held.
- KENTUCKY: In a state where superintendent hiring committee positions are mandated by law, the Pritchard Committee on Educational Excellence Student Voice Team lobbied the state legislature to change the law to include them for more than a year. With a bill having went all the way through committee into the general session, the Student Voice Team was thwarted in the final moments in their attempt to have students on superintendent hiring committees. However, they guarantee future efforts to change the law are already being planned.
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