What is Student Voice?

Student voice is the practice of educators intentionally, purposefully, and systematically eliciting student viewpoints on a specific topic for improvement purposes.

Concerning Student Voice, it is always critical to seek first to understand.

To reach this goal, district-wide data was used to identify the underrepresented students and create an opportunity for leadership and development.

The Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council was created in 2017.

The stakeholder nominated and peer elected student leaders went through intensive leadership training and took on the committee work at the school-level and the district-level.

The District has taken multiple steps to raise student voice in addition to launching the district-wide council, including:

• seeking student input on the suspension ban planning and implementation
• including students in the development of Imagine PPS themes and groups
• sponsored the Project Manager, Student Voice and student representatives to attend the Classroom Without Borders Poland Study Seminar
• supported various student-driven virtual projects such as, the “Month of Non-violence”,  the Covid-19 educational campaign, and the work around voter registration.

The work has truly shifted to a place where the work is student-led. 

This website is a pure representation of the Student Voice work at Pittsburgh Public Schools as it is designed by student leaders who are knee deep into the work and committed to ensure that student voice is a staple of the work that happens at PPS!