Leigh Dalton, Ray Churchman, and Adriane Tasco
Introduction
When a company decides to change its organizational structure or make other important decisions, the stakeholders are typically part of that process. Whether to give suggestions or question their role in the change, those affected usually have an opportunity to be heard. What does this have to do with students? Students are stakeholders in their schools, just as their parents or guardians are at work. But are they being involved in important school decisions?
Schools today are constantly faced with demands from administrators and parents to improve the academic opportunities of our nation's youth. However, students are often left out of the many change processes schools undertake. This primarily happens due to mandates about instructional time and adults' perception that students are not interested in being a serious part of school committees that implement change. Important decisions are made for and about them, yet they are not given meaningful consideration or opportunity for participation during the evaluation or assessment processes. Even in schools where students are asked to participate in the process, they are sometimes only given token or passive volunteer assignments and tasks to complete (Fletcher, 2003).
Benefits and Opportunities
School administrators may not rush to involve students in important decisions, but there are benefits in doing so. According to Patmor and McIntyre (1999), students who are involved in school decisions enjoy school more and tend to support the policies they helped create by assuming more responsibility for school issues. These students likely will gain more self-confidence and school pride from being actively involved in their education. Teachers may also notice a positive change in their relationships with students. Patmor and McIntyre (1999) also observed an increase in school attendance among students involved in decision making.
Encouraging students to become involved and stay involved requires a legitimate offer of real influence (Patmor & McIntyre, 1999). Sometimes students are reluctant to participate in decision making because they were assigned tasks with little value when they previously attempted to get involved. They may be bored with the status quo of student government or organizing the school prom and bake sales and are ready to make a serious contribution to their education and learning environment. Students need to be aware of opportunities for involvement in decision making. Administrators should make a genuine effort to include and solicit the input of students who are not generally active in school councils. This may be the chance to reach those students who are not involved in after-school activities or committees.
Many of the Healthy School Communities pilot sites for Creating a Healthy School Using the Healthy School Report Card: An ASCD Action Tool (HSRC), have had success in involving the students in their process of becoming healthier schools and communities. The students are part of the various school health councils and student-led committees and are given the opportunity to provide input about their perceptions of their schools and what can be done to make them better.
At Barclay Elementary/Middle School in Baltimore, Md., the teachers, parents, and students each had opportunities to discuss their concerns and give feedback on the discipline policy at the school. The idea to create a forum called Peer Court to handle discipline was taken from a Baltimore city initiative called Teen Court. When students violate school policies and rules, they are referred to Peer Court. Once witness statements, supporting information, and evidence are submitted, a hearing is held. Student lawyers represent the referred student and the school, respectively. Once the process (including opening and closing statements and deliberations) is complete, the referred student then meets with the Consequence Committee, which ensures that students follow through with the assigned consequence. A student may be charged to complete community service hours, letters of apology, or other consequences determined by the jury. The jury can decide to recommend a student for suspension; however, only administrators can make that determination.
Blackstone Academy in Pawtucket, R.I., has a student-led wellness program that evolved from informal activities held in an advisory group. The students began by learning about nutrition and the benefits of physical activity in workshops. They invited local facilitators, including some from the University of Rhode Island, into the school to conduct workshops. They also went on excursions outside the school to locate area resources, like gyms. After the success of the workshops, the student committee proposed an elective course, implemented during the second quarter of the 2006–07 school term. The class is monitored by a teacher, but the nutrition-focused curriculum was designed and facilitated by the students that were part of the workshops.
At Des Moines Municipal School in Des Moines, N.M., students are involved with their health committee, too. The committee is currently working to improve nutrition among the student body and faculty by introducing fresh fruits and vegetables as healthy snacks. One way in which they do this is by having the "Fruit Wizard" distribute fruit snacks daily to every classroom. Every day, the Wizard gives the students and faculty a snack item and a short lesson about the benefits of that particular fruit or vegetable. The teachers and students rotate dressing up as the Wizard each day. Des Moines has also implemented a plan for healthy snacks for its student athletes. When they have to travel for away games, they take fruit as a snack with them, instead of stopping for fast food before or after the game.
Here is what some Des Moines students had to say:
"At our school one of the students hands out fruit 6th period to all of the school. It is a great program because right before we go home we are hungry, and this gives us a healthy snack between lunch and after school."
—Steven B.
"I am currently a member of the Peer Helpers team at our school and am on a health committee here as well. We recently had a meeting for our health committee and several students, including myself, got to say what we thought. As a student, it is nice to be able to know you are being heard and what you think counts."
—Amaris N.
Conclusion
To implement the types of changes illustrated here, school administrators and faculty should seek out resources that will guide them through the process. Meaningful Student Involvement: Guide to Inclusive School Change, by Adam Fletcher (2003), is a valuable resource for administrators and teachers. This document concisely identifies the importance of involvement, outcomes, tools, and practical application for schools at all levels.
One of the tools in the guide, "The Ladder of Student Involvement in Schools," identifies the degrees of participation and nonparticipation of students. It can help students and educators see, on a continuum from one to eight, how students are currently involved and how they could be in the future (Fletcher, 2003). Level one, the lowest level, is manipulation. This is where adults pretend the causes were inspired by students to gain the support of students. Level four is at the bottom of the segmented degree of participation, where the students are given information about what is going to change and then assigned tasks without their input. At the highest level, eight, students are able to initiate and share ideas with adults and contribute their ideas to the decision-making process.
All schools can do their part to create a healthy school environment for the students and staff. The input of all stakeholders, including students, is required for effective change. By using these tools and others, schools can involve students in decision making, improving the school environment and helping students feel more valued, engaged, and confident.
References
Fletcher, A. (2003). Meaningful student involvement: Guide to inclusive school change. SoundOut. Retrieved November 5, 2007, from www.soundout.org/MSIInclusiveGuide.pdf
Patmor, G. L., II, & McIntyre, D. J. (1999, May). Involving students in school decision making. NASSP Bulletin, 83(607), 74–78.