Practices of Promise: Youth Voice in Washoe County School District, Nevada

This case example offers a glimpse into WCSD’s process of creating structures to elevate and listen to students, before and through the pandemic.

TAGS student leadership conducting local SEL research continuous improvement youth voice

SEL Trends: Empowering Youth Voice

From CASEL's SEL Trends series, this issue describes ways that Chicago, Cleveland and Washoe County school districts have recognized students as experts of the school experience and built structures for students to better influence school and district decisions and practices.

TAGS social studies SEL partnerships student leadership youth voice

Washoe County’s Student Voice Homepage and Student Voice Toolkit

Students practice and strengthen social and emotional skills through leadership opportunities. By elevating students as leaders, districts both benefit from student perspective and ingenuity and support their skill development. This website provides a great example of a district-level approach.

TAGS toolkit student leadership youth voice

Student Voice Resources from Chicago

Chicago Public Schools Department of Student Voice and Engagement shares resources for district schools to elevate student voice, learn from students, and build stronger student-adult partnerships.

TAGS student leadership continuous improvement youth voice

Giving Students a Voice in their Education (video)

This video from Education Week features Washoe County School District's practices to promote student voice and agency in shaping policies and decisions that impact education. Youth voice and leadership is a central part of the social and emotional learning approach in the district.

TAGS videos student leadership youth voice

Chicago Public Schools Student Voice Committees

Student Voice Committees (SVCs) are designed to form crucial student-adult partnerships to help address the issues schools and students are facing. Through engaging students in the decision making process, SVCs seek to improve school culture and climate and develop youth leadership skills.

TAGS student leadership youth voice

Youth Participatory Action Research Hub

Youth Participatory Action Research is an approach that trains young people to conduct research to improve their community and the institutions designed to serve them. This hub, hosted by UC Berkeley, shares curriculum and resources to support YPAR projects.

TAGS toolkit student leadership assessment conducting local SEL research continuous improvement youth voice

The Academic Impact of Responsiveness to Student Voice

A study of Chicago Public Schools found that academic performance is related to schools' responsiveness to student concerns. This research brief shares how outcomes were measured and why these may be connected.

TAGS student leadership research brief youth voice

Student Voice and Data Summits: Continuous Improvement in Washoe County

Presentation describing the purpose and format of Student-led Data Summits in Washoe County, with highly valuable advice from those who have helped organize them.

TAGS student assessment SEL partnerships student leadership data dashboards conducting local SEL research continuous improvement planning youth voice

Webinar: Looking at the Intersection of Student Agency and School Discipline Practices

An in-depth discussion of the connections between student agency and school discipline from the Center for the Collaborative Classroom and Transforming Education. Presenters share ways schools can use student-centered disciplinary practices to cultivate social and emotional skills and empower student voice.

TAGS social awareness self awareness responsible decision making SEL competence student leadership restorative practices student discipline professional learning youth voice