Laying the Foundation for Student Voice in Curriculum Reform: Winning Over the Hearts and Minds of Educators

Abstract

Education systems across many OECD countries are witnessing a burgeoning interest in the development of comprehensive programmes for person-centred practices that embody the principles of democracy in schools. Student voice in educational reform has been established as a valid field of enquiry as per a growing body of scholarship that ascertains the transformative potential of student voice work for organisational learning and student flourishing. Evidence continues to be reinforced by formal policies on youth participation in reference to Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). These influences have been the catalyst behind current trends toward positioning young people as active agents in school reform efforts. This study explores the prospect of transforming structures for student voice in curriculum reform. The perspectives of 10 highly regarded educational professionals from one Ontario school board are gathered to discover how students can be afforded opportunities to co-lead in the processes that encompass curriculum reform. Conclusions drawn from the data reveal that a vision and mission for student voice in curriculum reform requires cooperation and “buy-in” from the experts who occupy a vital role in shaping, designing, and facilitating these structures. The potential for policy, practical and cultural transformation rests on the positionalities of senior administrators at the board-level and policymakers at the Ministry of Education. A continued examination into the manifestations of power infused in the ideologies and characteristics of public education is warranted so new and equitable participatory frameworks can be actualised as a normative practice. Future researchers are encouraged to investigate the use of action-guiding frameworks and benchmarking tools that measure the success and strengths in this work, particularly concerning student representation, for student voice to receive the recognition it deserves at a higher level. Whilst acknowledging that any potential for change in a revolutionary format will take time and patient commitment, this study was generated as part of a hopeful vision to extend the internationally recognised growing phenomenon of student voice work in secondary education.