Meaningful Involvement for Students in Elementary, Middle, and High School
In Meaningful Student Involvement: Guide to Students as Partners in School Change, Adam Fletcher outlines ways to put meaningful student involvement in action for students in elementary school, middle school and high school.
Exploring Grades K-5
Meaningful student involvement in elementary schools is experiential, tangible,
and focused. Action is based in the classroom, where students work in small groups
and gradually build their skills. Meaningful student involvement requires specific
skill building that can lead to important learning connections for young people.
Table 3 illustrates a few examples of activities where students have been meaningfully
involved in elementary schools.
Table 3. Meaningful Student Involvement in Elementary Schools
| Examples | Skill-Building Areas | Learning Connections |
|---|---|---|
| Planning: Membership on school improvement committee | Cooperative Leadership Skills Project Planning Identifying Issues in Education |
Communications Writing |
| Teaching: Co-designed, delivered, and evaluated lesson plans | Learning Styles Teaching Skills Evaluation Methods |
Writing Communication Specific Subject Area |
| Evaluation: Student evaluation of self and teachers | Self-Awareness Critical Thinking |
Communications Writing |
| Evaluation: Student-led parent teacher conferences | Developing Presentations Small-Group Facilitation |
Communications Writing Reading |
| Decision-making: Student-led classroom governance | Creating Consensus Team-Building |
Communications Citizenship Relational Skills |
| Advocacy: Supporting the school library | Active Listening Problem Solving |
Communications |
| Organizing: Student-led signature-collecting campaigns promoting their interests | Creating Petitions Understanding Schools Democratic Process |
Writing Communications Relational Skills Social Studies |
Exploring Grades 6-8
Meaningful student involvement in middle schools is experiential and project-based,
emphasizing teamwork and results for all students. These actions encourage students
to take increasing levels of responsibility for improving their schools. Table
4 details activities where students have been meaningfully involved in middle
schools, including specific skill building and learning connections. Additionally,
activities in middle schools span a variety of activities, transforming adults'
perceptions of student roles in schools. Middle school students are often engaged
in the activities in Table 3, also.
Table 4. Meaningful Student Involvement in Middle Schools
| Examples | Skill-Building Areas | Learning Connections |
|---|---|---|
| Planning: Full membership on school committees | School Leadership Identifying Issues in Education |
Communications Citizenship |
| Research: Student-designed Action Research | Research Methods Identifying Issues in Education Assessing Research Results Designing Action Projects |
Writing Math Communications Specific Issue Areas |
| Teaching: Student/Adult Co-Teaching | Classroom Planning Facilitation Evaluation Skills |
Writing Communication Specific Subject Area |
| Evaluation: Student-created school assessments | Group Decision-Making Evaluation Skills |
Communications Writing Specific Subject Areas |
| Decision-Making: Whole-School Student Forums | Facilitation Event Planning Identifying Issues in Education |
Communications Writing |
| Advocacy: School-focused Service-Learning | Project Planning Identifying Issues in Education Critical Reflection |
Writing Specific Issue Areas Communications |
| Organizing: Student-designed school improvement agenda | Issues in Education Group Processes Collaboration |
Writing Communications Citizenship |
Exploring Grades 9-12
Meaningful student involvement in high schools is experiential, intensive, and
offers direct connections between the school and the larger community. Action
may happen in a longer duration than in elementary or middle school years. Students
lead action and have full responsibility and authority in many activities with
adults acting as coaches that guide students in a mostly self-directed process
of inquiry and discovery. Table 5 shares activities where students have been meaningfully
involved in high schools, including specific skill building and important learning
connections. High school students are often engaged in the activities from Tables
3 and 4, also.
Table 5. Meaningful Student Involvement in High Schools
| Examples | Skill-Building Areas | Learning Connections |
|---|---|---|
| Advocacy: Student-created district budget | Issues in Education Group Decision-Making Diversity Awareness |
Writing Math Communications Citizenship |
| Teaching: Teaching classroom courses | Classroom Planning Topic Awareness Facilitation and Presentation Skills Evaluation Skills |
Communications Writing Specific Subject Areas |
| Decision-Making: Full membership on school improvement committees | Community Building Issues in Education Conflict Resolution |
Writing Math Communications Specific Issue Areas |
| Teaching: Training for Teachers | Issue Awareness (Diversity, Youth Issues, Community Needs) Facilitation |
Communications Writing Citizenship Specific Subject Areas |
| Decision-Making: Positions on teacher and principal hiring teams | Group Dynamics Issues in Education Collaboration Skills |
Communication |
| Advocacy: Student-led Forums and Action Planning | Issues in Education Facilitation Event Planning |
Communications Citizenship |
| Organizing: Student-led Education Conference | Issues in Education Event Planning Issues in Governance |
Communications Citizenship Social Studies |
Source: Fletcher, A. (2005). Meaningful Student Involvement: Guide to Students as Partners in School Change (2nd ed.). Retrieved February, 2005 from www.soundout.org.
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