How can you develop a shared vision for student voice and leadership?

Student involvement and leadership help students gain a sense of autonomy and ownership, which, in turn, contributes to their academic and social-emotional success. Since the school primarily exists for the students, it makes sense to include them in decision-making processes. Additionally, they can learn valuable life skills through this involvement, potentially even more than they do in the academic realm.

It is worth noting that understanding the purpose and benefits of promoting student voice and leadership is essential for creating more inclusive and engaging learning environments. When students are empowered to share their perspectives and take on leadership roles, they develop key skills like critical thinking, communication, and responsibility. Moreover, promoting student leadership potentially may foster a sense of belonging and ownership in the educational process, leading to a more democratic and supportive culture that values all voices.

Developing a shared vision for student voice and leadership involves fostering an environment that values inclusivity, psychological safety, and a commitment to collaborative decision-making. To accomplish this, clearly define and communicate inclusive values that emphasize the importance of every student's voice, diverse perspectives, and the equitable distribution of leadership opportunities. Align inclusive values with principles of respect, diversity, and the belief that every student has a valuable contribution to make. Prioritize fostering a culture of psychological safety where students feel comfortable expressing their thoughts, ideas, and concerns without fear of judgment - encouraging open communication and active listening.

The 21st century student is one who has multiple levels of personal agency in their lives due to social media and the connection that technology brings. They can choose what information they take in and how they are viewed in the digital community. Due to these factors schools must ask themselves, "how are we allowing students to to have agency in leadership?" School cannot be the only element of their lives where students have no agency; therefore school must assess their current student leadership institutions and ask how can those be made to truly give the students a voice in the school. Also, how are students being celebrated. As a school are you only focusing on academic success or creative, innovative, and social success?

Offer leadership development opportunities that empower students to develop their leadership skills. Provide training, workshops, and mentorship programs to support their growth. Align these leadership development opportunities with values that emphasize empowerment, continuous learning, and the belief that every student has the potential to be a leader. By encouraging and supporting student-led initiatives that allow students to take the lead in addressing issues, implementing projects, and creating positive change within the school community you can support student-led initiatives with values that emphasize autonomy, initiative, and the recognition that students can drive meaningful change.

There must be a proper appreciation and rewards system to promote voice and student leadership. Student-run workshops or mentorship programs, may give students the opportunity to lead by example, fostering leadership while encouraging others to actively participate. Student representation on committees or in discussions about curriculum changes may also prove significant for students to contribute to institutional decisions and empower them as leaders.

To build effective collaboration, schools can organize regular meetings, workshops, and forums where all stakeholders are invited to contribute ideas and perspectives. Engaging parents and community members is always significant. External partnerships, such as collaborations with Alumni, local businesses, can also provide students with mentorship, resources, and real-world leadership opportunities. It is important that by maintaining transparency, setting clear goals, and encouraging active participation from all stakeholders, schools can build a collaborative ecosystem that fully supports student voice and leadership development.

The "follow-up" here is extremely important--especially for underserved communities who may have had historically negative experiences with the education system. These adverse experiences may create hesitation to participate and contribute--meaning that we must adapt our practices to effectively reach our audiences.

Building a culture of student leadership takes time and action. But once it's there, students will naturally want to be involved. Students of all ages can build leadership skills informally and build on that culture within their own classrooms as well. Moving from there, getting together with their grade level peers and ultimately vertical grade levels as a formal team.

You can develop a shared vision for student voice and leadership that is inclusive, empowering, and reflective of diverse perspectives by modeling inclusive leadership to create a positive and impactful leadership culture. Ways to model inclusive leadership behaviors include showcasing values of inclusivity, respect, and collaboration in action through your interactions. By aligning inclusive leadership with values that emphasize leading by example and authenticity, your behavior becomes integral to respecting principles of psychological safety to develop a shared vision that is inclusive, empowering, and reflective of the diverse perspectives within the student body.