students speak out about their education

STUDENTS

SPEAK

A Project for student voice in educational decision making

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What do you need in order to do well in school?

Focus Group Report

student voices - read the report

73 Massachusetts secondary school students participated in focus group interviews on what they need to do well in school.

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State House Briefing

Students addressed legislators at the State House

Massachusetts high school students testified to state legislators at the State House in Boston on Safe and Supportive Schools.

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Conversations

Students speak out about racial injustice

In a series of videos high school students discuss the lingering effects of Covid, what gives them hope and inspiration about their generation, offer advice for future student activists, and much more.

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What students are talking about…

 
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LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

“Cooperation means learning faster.
And when you and your teacher and your classmates are working together like this, it’s like a triangle of good.”

EQUITY

“It would go a long way to help if there were teachers from the community who could understand the needs of students of color.… I feel like if more teachers understood our backgrounds, things would go better.”

RELATIONSHIPS

“As students, some of us spend more time with teachers and counselors than we do with our own families. They are the people who teach us and help set us up for our futures. We want to feel understood and accepted.”

GENUINE LEARNING

“This second type of achievement is the version I think we should be aiming for.… With safety, cooperation and community – rather than just memorization – all of our students will learn and achieve so much more.”

LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

“For me, one of the most important parts of a safe and supportive school is that all the adults in the building understand how to care for and support all of the students.”

EQUITY

“There is a need for equitable treatment
and access to resources and opportunities for all students,
regardless of background or learning ability.”

RELATIONSHIPS

“The human relationships are what really matter and will truly build the community between students and staff in school. Without them, all the programs in the world won’t be able to help.”

GENUINE LEARNING

“I can tell teachers like this care because when they incorporate outside skills into our class, they’re setting us up to be more responsible adults.”

Youth Summit 2026

The 5th Annual Students Speak Youth Summit welcomed roughly 100 secondary school students from across the Commonwealth to the Harvard Law School campus. The Summit participants reflected the diversity of Students Speak statewide partnerships representing schools and youth-serving organizations from across the Commonwealth.

Throughout the day, young people who care about making schools better through elevating student voice gathered in community to work together to continue building a movement.

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2026 Youth Summit - Learn More

What was it like to come back to school after the pandemic?

Conversations

In a continuing series of video interviews, high school students discuss the lingering effects of Covid, what gives them hope and inspiration about their generation, offer advice for future student activists, and much more.

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Students speak out at Massachusetts State House

On March 5, 2024, high school students from TLPI’s Students Speak project participated in a legislative briefing, Students Speak 2024: Humanizing Our School Communities providing the opportunity for members of the Massachusetts Legislature to hear from secondary students from across the Commonwealth about what they need in order to do well in school and why the current moment presents a critical time to support funding for the Safe and Supportive Schools line item.

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