School Reform Through Student-Teacher Collaboration

But that is exactly what happened in an urban school district at the elementary, middle-, and upper-school levels. Teachers, along with students who were classified as having emotional and behavioral disorders, formed student advisory boards. These boards were led by students and gave advice to teachers and administrators.

The boards' first task was to ask the right questions, such as "What do students worry about most?" and "What kinds of problems do students have, and what solutions might work?" Those general questions led to more particular ones: "What kind of disciplinary procedures will help the students most?" and "What alternatives are there to suspension when students become angry?" All of the questions pointed to an ultimate one, phrased generally like this: "What kind of programs could teachers, parents, and students set up to help students get through school and learn?"

Across all of the schools and all grades, the major concern of the students was how they got along with—or, more precisely, did not get along well with—their peers. They were worried about bullying, fighting, and their reputations; they were worried about fitting in with their classmates.

They also were worried about how they got along with, or did not get along well with, their teachers. They worried about their reputations and about not being liked, about not being respected, about teachers talking about them behind their backs, about teachers who were inclined to embarrass them, and about counselors who would snitch on them.

Finally, they worried about their school work: about not being able to read, about being teased when they were pulled out of class for special education help, and about improving their grades.

Their solutions varied. At one elementary school, students and teachers launched a conflict mediation program to address their concerns about fighting. At another, they created a mentor program that involved students at an adjacent middle school who taught their buddies how to be cool and fit in without breaking school rules. At a middle school, they persuaded the administrators to create a composure room, where they could cool down when agitated. And at a senior high school, they created an in-school factory to make designer T-shirts, a good way to prove their work skills to prospective employers.

The results? The teachers were relieved to find that they did not have to be in total control of the school and its problems and solutions. The students learned to identify problems, propose solutions, and be responsible for themselves and their schools. And teachers and students alike learned how to collaborate with each other.

The problems they identified affect nearly every student in the United States; the solutions they devised may be good for their schools but not workable in other schools. That doesn't matter. The point is that these teachers and students together reformed their schools. Bit by bit, they chipped away at the challenges facing them. And they did it together.

What tips can you carry with you from this school district's experiences? Research suggests that three tips are basic:

• Treat students as people. Involve them in school governance. Treat them as though their opinions matter. Make their opinions matter.
• Appeal to students' sense of fairness. Assume they know the school codes of conduct. And then determine whether they think the codes are fair and are applied fairly.
• Offer training in self-determination and problem solving. Help students set their own goals. Let them have some choices in what courses they take or what activities they undertake.

• Convene the meeting of the students in a comfortable, quiet place. Provide refreshments.
• Explain to the students and their parents that you are going to use their ideas as the basis for new programs at school.
• Treat the students and their parents as though they were adults and members of an important advisory board.
• Solicit all of their ideas. Don't judge the ideas; don't say, "Policy prohibits that"; don't be defensive. Remember, you are in the business of reforming your school.
• Record the ideas. Discuss the next steps. Reconvene to discuss progress in carrying out the ideas.
• Thank the students and their parents. Keep their faith by demonstrating good-faith action on your part.

Putting These Strategies to Work for Progress in the General Curriculum