Educators, by and large, are doubling down on important commitments to equity—especially as the country continues to confront consistent reminders of systemic racism, police violence toward communities of color, AAPI hate, and other dimensions of injustice. Student voice is one important aspect of educational equity. Honoring students’ perspectives shows students that their voices matter and makes their learning environments more meaningful and engaging, which will ultimately set them up for success in college, career, and life.

A new publication from SRI—Designing Schools with and for Students: Lessons Learned from the Engage New England Initiative—explores key tactics for how educators in the Engage New England (ENE) initiative included student voice at critical points in the school design process. The publication identifies promising strategies that other educators can replicate in their own contexts.

The ENE initiative, funded by the Barr Foundation, aims to help educators develop school models to serve students who are off track toward graduation. Springpoint supports school designers in their design and implementation journey as part of the initiative. This includes supporting our partner schools as they work to authentically include students as participants on the design team and as critical contributors as the school builds core systems and structures.

Importantly, we encourage school design teams to intentionally include a wide range of student voices that can reflect the full diversity of their student population, including students of color, English Learners, students who are immigrants, and a balance of male and female students. This helps ensure that schools understand and address the assets and needs of their students so that learning experiences are relevant to students’ lives, culturally responsive to all students, and deeply empowering.

For even more on student voice is honored and leveraged in ENE schools, check out these reflections from Boston Day and Evening Academy or read about how Chelsea Opportunity Academy included students in instructional rounds.