Student Voice for School‐Climate Improvement: A Case Study of an Urban Middle School

Abstract

This case study used a student voice program in an urban middle school in the southeastern United States to examine the validity of three theoretically derived pathways through which student voice may affect positive school climate. First, using a youth participatory action research process to identify barriers to learning, analyse their root causes, and advocate for solutions to school administration allowed students to influence minor school policies and implement anti‐bullying, classroom‐behaviour‐monitoring, and experiential‐learning initiatives. However, there were challenges to making these policy and practice changes systemic. Second, relationships were formed and strengthened as a byproduct of student participant and staff collaboration in program activities. However, the program may have contributed to an ingroup–outgroup dynamic between participants and other peers. Third, students who participated in the program developed citizenship competencies, and their development may have promoted broader prosocial norms among the student body, though evidence was inconsistent. Study findings suggest that future research examine how variations in the implementation of student voice initiatives can maximize the contribution to a positive school climate in urban schools. Findings also suggest that practitioners should ensure that student teams be representative of a multitude of student identities. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

More than Data Collectors: A Systematic Review of the Environmental Outcomes of Youth Inquiry Approaches in the United States

“…Five articles reported that adults had an increased understanding of the experiences and needs of diverse youth because of the project (Brown, ; Galletta & Jones, ; McIntyre, Chatzopoulos, Politi, & Roz, ; Ozer & Wright, ; Sanchez, ). Specifically, adults were more willing to engage in diversity‐related discussions with young people at school (Ozer & Wright, ); relationships between students and teachers were improved (Mitra, ; Voight, ); and adults described engaging in more reflexivity regarding power dynamics between youth and adults (Bertrand, ; McIntyre et al., ).…”

“…Youths’ participation in inquiry also led to changes among their peer groups. Four of these studies reported that the project resulted in changes to peer groups’ knowledge or behavior regarding either physical activity or nutrition (Dzewaltowski et al., ; Frerichs, Sjolie, Curtis, Peterson, & Huang, ; Yoshida, Craypo, & Samuels, ) or bullying (Voight, ). Similarly, Langhout, Collins, and Ellison () reported that the youth had strengthened peer networks, linkages between home and school, and connections to intermediary community‐based organizations.…”

“…In some cases, more funding was made available for youth‐related services such as after‐school and job programs. Programs were created or enhanced to address physical and mental health‐related topics such as bullying prevention, substance abuse, and healthy eating; these programs were created in both school and community settings (Christens & Kirshner, ; Frerichs et al., ; Kirshner, ; Voight, ). In Galletta and Jones (), PAR with youth was recognized as an important dual pedagogy, which was then integrated into a teacher training program.…”

“…In some cases, new services were designed by youth to address an unmet need, such as language translating services between school professionals and parents, job search supports at the school, or a map of youth‐friendly spaces in a community (Berg, Coman, & Schensul, ; Mitra, ; Walker & Saito, ). In several of these studies, youth were involved in the development of marketing campaigns, both in person (i.e., flyers) and online (i.e., through social media), to raise awareness about the changes to programming or to advertise new program offerings (e.g., Berg et al., ; Frerichs et al., ; Voight, ). Cammarota and Romero () reported that, as a result of the poetry‐based education campaign presented to school decision‐makers, youth were allowed to display cultural symbols, such as flags from their countries of origin, at school.…”

Student Civic Participation and School Climate: Associations at Multiple Levels of the School Ecology

“…For example, Checkoway and Richards‐Schuster () described how disadvantaged youth in one school used a youth‐organizing strategy to change harsh disciplinary policies, protest placement of hazardous waste by their schools, and educate their community about overcriminalization of local youth. Other qualitative studies of youth civic participation have shown how young people, working in concert, have effected change in school facilities and college preparatory classes (Shah & Mediratta, ), violence‐prevention programming (Voight, in press; Warren, Mira, & Nikundiwe, ), the tracking of English‐language learners (Speer, ), and school‐based racial (Christens & Kirshner, ) and socioeconomic (Morrell, ) inequalities.…”