Quaglia Institute News and Events
Lawrence Middle School World Café
Lawrence Middle School recently conducted their fourth World Café Data Activity. Side by side, adult leaders and students analyzed Student Voice survey data with the goal of learning from students' perspectives about the transition back to in-person learning on campus. Students then brainstormed solutions for identified issues and actions that can be taken to further enhance the student experience at Lawrence. The World Café was never designed to be a one-time event. Lawrence hosts these regularly in order to obtain feedback from students on an ongoing basis. The insights students provide are critical to the continual improvement planning process. Student input has become part of the “way of being” at Lawrence. This spring the Student Voice survey will be administered again, and a new group of students will be invited to share their perspectives. Supporting Lawrence's new goal of involving students in conversations with staff about future professional development, these World Café participants will also engage in this collective planning. We strongly believe that we have a lot to learn from students if we are willing to listen—Lawrence knows how to listen! Click here to view a one-minute video highlighting Lawrence's most recent World Café Data Activity.
Sutter Middle School KIND Club
Check out the amazing work being done by students participating in the Kind Club at Sutter Middle School.
Parent Presentation from Mt. Gleason Middle School
The Aspirations Team at Mt. Gleason Middle School delivered a presentation to parents about Student Voice during their regularly scheduled Coffee with the Principal. For Student Voice to truly become a way of being, all members of the school community, including parents and community members must be included. This is a great example representing the work many schools are doing to include families in their Student Voice & Aspirations work. Click here to download the parent presentation.
Monday Morning Assemblies at Rosa Parks Learning Center
During the 2019-20 school year, Rosa Parks Learning Center began holding Monday Morning Assemblies to increase and amplify student voice. Each week, a class takes responsibility for leading the whole school in the Monday Morning Assembly, using the opportunity to teach student voice skills, celebrate learning and student accomplishments on a regular basis, and cultivate a sense of belonging between all students and staff at the school. Thanks to the hard work of Principal King and the Aspirations Team, the school was able to continue the Monday Morning tradition via virtual means during the 2020-21 school year. Throughout the week, teachers and students would compile pictures and videos to be showcased and submitted write-ups to recognize individual students during what morphed into the Monday Morning Video. This provided a structured time each week to hear from the voices of students on the school wide stage, and through virtual means, let student shine and be acknowledge for their talents, accomplishments, and hard work. Enjoy these samples of Monday Morning Videos from Rosa Parks, including students leading the pledge of allegiance form his home, highlighting student artwork, and a beautiful recognition of individual students at the end of each video.
Student Perspective on Listen, Learn, Lead
Louie Galman, a year 9 student at the Brisbane Catholic Education schools in Australia, recently put together a slide deck illustrating the work of the Quaglia Institute, and the importance of the 3 L's: Listen, Learn, Lead. You can watch a video of his presentation here.
Edison Middle School Evidence Portfolio
The Aspirations Team at Edison Middle School in the Los Angeles Unified School District has created a digital portfolio reflecting their work to amplify student voice & aspirations as a way of being across their campus. Check out this link to explore a wide variety of evidence ranging from school level actions, to specific examples of how instruction is being impacted by their focus on instructional strategies that honor student voice.
Check out the Reseda Charter School Instagram account dedicated to Student Voice
The Power of Voice
Andrea Stringer's latest blog post discusses the need to be having conversations where everyone has a voice and actively listens - the students, teachers and leaders. How well are we listening and who currently has the most influential voice?
Resources for talking to students about politics, civic engagement, and uncertainty
The ASCD is providing a number of free resources for talking to students about politics, civic engagement, and uncertainty, including Dr. Quaglia's latest book The Power of Voice in Schools.
Dr. Joseph Meloche, Cherry Hill School District
Congratulations to Dr. Meloche, 2021 Superintendent of the Year Region III!
Thomas Edison Middle School
The Aspirations Team at Thomas Edison Middle School in Los Angeles recently engaged in a Voice Systems Self-Assessment exercise. The team celebrated areas of growth, and identified areas for continued improvement. The day after the meeting, the team took immediate action and began to work on a variety of ways to continue amplifying student voice at Edison, including the following:
- Identifying student "Eagle" Representatives in each Advisory class and partnering with them to gather student ideas for school improvement that can be included in the school’s Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) plan and actions.
- Including students in Schoolwide Positive Behavior Intervention Plan meetings.
- Administering the Student Voice Survey in order to learn from students what their experiences are like during emergency remote learning.
Chatsworth Charter High School
Students at Chatsworth Charter High School in Los Angeles recently completed all 6 of the My Voice My Future student webinars. Students worked together to research opportunities for young people to virtually engage in civic action related to causes they care about. QISVA was honored to learn from student presentations in which they screen shared each resource and explained why they thought these resources would support student understanding of how they can use their voices for the Good of the Whole.
In their concluding remarks, one student said that all of the resources they suggested "give a voice to the voiceless"—something they think is a very important part of using your voice for the Good of the Whole. Thanks to the CCHS students for introducing us to these amazing resources that will be shared with all students engaging in the My Voice, My Future series moving forward.