Gwinnett County Public Schools: Superintendent's Student Advisory Council: Listening To And Learning From Our Students

Press release from Gwinnett County Public Schools:

02.02.22

Last month, members of the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council came together for their first-ever meeting with Dr. Calvin J. Watts. A group of 63 middle school students and 52 high school students were selected for the council through an application process. At the first meeting, participants, who met by level, had the opportunity to share feedback, experiences, and perspectives on a variety of issues affecting students, schools, and communities with Superintendent Watts.

In launching the new advisory council—made up of a middle school group and a high school group—Dr. Watts said, “We know that our schools are filled with leaders and we have a number of groups that allow me to hear from many of those individuals, including our teachers, parents, and community leaders. However, there was one glaring omission… our students. Through this Council, students will be able to voice their ideas, share suggestions for improving our schools and the district, and to act as thought leaders as they build their leadership capacity.”

Dr. Watts is working to amplify student voice—listening to our children and young people and learning from them—by including students in the district’s improvement efforts as they are the primary user and biggest beneficiary of what we do.

Samuel, a Couch MS student, says he wanted to join SAC for that very reason. “I believe everybody needs a voice and who better to have a voice [with the superintendent] than the students themselves who have a direct contact to what we need and what we want.”

At the Jan. 22 session, students collaborated with their peers to discuss and present concerns and questions to Superintendent Watts.

“We had a very thoughtful and engaging conversation that led us to understand that, in many cases, their needs are being addressed and, in some others, we have some work to do,” says Dr. Watts. “And that’s not surprising for any organization, but if we want to make perfect progress, we’ll continue asking these questions. That’s how we’ll keep getting better at getting better.”

After that initial meeting, Council members are returning to their schools with a bit of homework. They have been charged with gathering feedback from their classmates over the next few weeks and bringing responses and solution-driven ideas to the next meeting with Superintendent Watts. The students will ask their peers one of these three questions:

• What ideas do you have to make our school a place where you feel a greater sense of power and agency?

• Explain what ideas you have to impact the overall quality of your school experience. How could your educational experience be improved?

• What feedback do you have for me to make our district, schools, or classrooms more equitable and inclusive?

The council will meet with Dr. Watts again on March 14 and on May 14.

In this Focus Moment from GCPS TV, check out coverage of the first Student Advisory Council.

This press release was produced by Gwinnett County Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author’s own.