Students on School Boards Toolkit

Are students on school boards?

Across the United States and Canada, there is a growing awareness that student voice and Meaningful Student Involvement matter, a lot. It turns out that student voice—which is any expression of any student, anytime, anywhere, about anything related to education—drives all aspects of learning and teaching in schools. More than ever before, students are beginning to ask why student voice isn’t driving leadership in schools, too.

School boards have to change what they’re doing as soon as possible. There is an old adage that says, “Nothing about us without us is for us.” Starting at least in the 1930s, students began to suspect this was true for them. In the 1960s, it became startlingly evident to a larger group of students and educators. However, with the advent of the Internet, never before have more young people felt more compelled to take action.

Following is our collection of tools for students on school boards. Please share your ideas, comments, concerns and considerations in the comment section below!

Students on School Boards Toolkit

• Students on School Boards Toolkit Homepage
  • Students on School Boards Fact Sheet
  • Terms Related to Students on School Boards
  • Activities for Students on School Boards
  • Rationale for Students on School Boards
  • How to Get Students on School Boards
  • Options for Student Voice on School Boards
  • Should School Boards Elect or Select Student Members?
  • Barriers to Students on School Boards
  • Outcomes from Students on School Boards
  • Quotes about Students on School Boards
  • Critical Questions about Students on School Boards
  • Impacts of Students on School Boards
• Data Related to Students on School Boards
  • State Directory of Laws Affecting Students on School Boards
  • State Directory of Students on School District Boards
  • State Directory Students on District School Boards
  • Directory of Students on State Boards of Education
  • Sources for the Students on School Boards Toolkit
  • Publications about Students on School Boards
• Additional Info Related to Students on School Boards
  • Frequently Asked Questions about Students on School Boards (FAQs)
  • Students On School Boards Workshops
  • SoundOut Guide to Students on School Boards, 2nd Edition [PDF]

Students on School Boards in Canada

• Directory of Canadian Province Laws Affecting Students on School Boards
• Guide to Students on Canadian School Boards [PDF]

Media about School Boards Citing SoundOut

• “Elevating Student Voice in Education” by Meg Benner, Catherine Brown, and Ashley Jeffrey for the Center for American Progress on August 14, 2019.
• “Few Student Board Members Can Vote. Should That Change?” by Stephen Sawchuk for Education Week on June 11, 2019.
• “The Student Voice Is Back Where It Belongs in Philadelphia” by Jared Brey for Next City on October 5, 2018.
• “Philly Appoints 2 Students to Its School Board as Students Nationwide Fight to Be Heard” by Mark Keierleber for The 74 on September 25, 2018.
• “Schools creating new structures to encourage student voice” Linda Jacobson for Education Dive on November 6, 2017.
• “Students on school boards bring unique perspective in K-12 direction” by Rafael Guerrero for the Elgin Courier-News on August 9, 2017.
• “Why Do American Students Have So Little Power?” by Amanda Ripley for The Atlantic on March 12, 2015.
• “Should Students Sit on School Boards? Advocates say teenagers deserve a say in policies that affect them” by Jacoba Urist for The Atlantic on April 23, 2014.

You Might Like…

• SoundOut Guide to Students on Canadian School Boards
• United States Student Voice Directory
• Training about Students on School Boards