Student Voices was an initiative of Education Evolving that originally ran from approximately 2001 through 2010. Then, in 2017, we launched a series of student listening sessions, beginning with a session conducted September 2017 in partnership with the Minnesota Alliance with Youth.

The original initiative was started based on the belief that too often students are not seen, and student voices are not heard, in meetings and discussions about K-12 education policy. Yet, the adults who control policy, and districts and schools, could learn much from listening to what students say about their experience with school, about their interests and desires for learning. Education Evolving listened to what students were saying and opened up new opportunities for them to speak in the education-policy discussion.

The stories we heard and still hear from students has informed much of our organization’s current position on the dire need for more student-centered learning—that is, learning that is more relevant, purposeful, engaging, and personalized.