Students feel the focus of their education needs to be concerned less with their test scores and memorizing information. Students are looking for genuine learning. Learning that prioritizes making time for students to approach their teachers, to discuss topics with classmates, and to learn things in a deep way.
“All classrooms…would benefit from more active and engaged learning, including hands-on projects, student leadership, and more.” — Trish
“When you get out of high school, some people don’t have people to help them get into a college or apply for this financial aid. That’s one reason why they just work. I always felt like if … a lot of these kids had those opportunities to know how to do these things, their lives would be easier. I always thought those should be classes that should be the first thing because by 16 everybody here should have a permit because that’s the age you’re supposed to get it.”
— Focus Group Report
“A lot of the times the arts are what help kids push through school. A lot of the times, a lot of the arts, they don’t get recognition for doing anything good. In a way, I feel like if they got recognition it motivates the kids. At least I’m doing good in some area, so that motivates them to maybe push through in another area. It’s like more academic because it’s like if they’re doing good in this then maybe they might get some recognition for that too.” — Focus Group Report
“We really don’t have too many classes that teach to our lives. I think last year at the beginning of ninth grade, we did like two days of learning about taxes and interest and then we haven’t learned about anything like that since. One of the things that I feel like they can change doing things more that we can connect to and that we’re going through. It’s like in 10th grade we’re 10th graders looking to get a job, looking for their permit and do other things like that.” — Focus Group Report
“Two of my friends are already being sent out of my program back to their district school because they could not keep their grades high enough. It was hard to see them struggle and not receive much help from the school administration — so often, the solution was just to dismiss them and send them to the guidance counselor — instead of trying to better understand what was going on in their lives, and figure out how the school could help.” — Ethan
“In one of my classes, … the teacher takes the time each day to go around throughout the class period and ask if we need help. This helps me feel seen, not just like one of many. I know that my teacher is open and willing to help. He doesn’t just say “any questions?” and leave us, he goes individually to each student, he checks our answers, gives us feedback. Because he takes the time to make sure that we are on track with our practice problems, I feel supported, confident about my learning and like I am learning something new.” — Jefferson
“I want schools and teachers to know that we need them to help us just a little bit.” — Kaitlyn
“I think that when schools have substitutes, those substitutes should be people who are fit for a given class so they can teach what they know.” — Marielys
“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.” — Corine
“When I turn in my work, I can tell if my teachers have put effort into looking over it. I get underwhelmed when they don’t give me feedback on how to do better, even if I know that I was confused by some of the material.” — Omari
“When I go in her class, then she has all this energy ready to teach and she actually gets into the books you read and sometimes she’ll act stuff out. It really helps. I don’t know about everybody else, but it really helps me get into it, get interested and know what we’re talking about and discussing and learning about.” — Focus Group Report
“Standardized testing is a significant source of stress for us and takes away from our learning experience by forcing teachers to “teach to the test.” In classes without standardized testing, the curriculum has been more flexible and has focused on learning goals that better suit our needs. The narrow focus of standardized tests stifles creativity and flexibility.” — Haverhill High School VIP Report
“The focus seems to be mostly on tests and memorizing information. These classes don’t seem to prioritize making time for students to approach our teachers, to discuss topics with our classmates, and to learn things in a deep way. It feels like we are being asked to soak up as much information as we can and repeat it on the test, but then it is OK if we forget about it the rest of the day.” — Jonathan
“They’ll literally take the first quarter of the entire year, for a freshman will be how to pass the MCAS…it’s not just learning the curriculum, but it’s also like they literally force you to pass because [our school] doesn’t have good MCAS scores. They don’t want us to be good. They want to make it look good.”
— Focus Group Report
“I feel it [graduation] should go off of grades, not MCAS scores. Kids do really good in class, but they just do really bad on tests. Tests aren’t everyone’s thing, so I feel like MCAS scores aren’t good for kids to even make it any further than a high school degree.” — Focus Group Report
“I don’t know. That’s how I feel when I get a rejection like, ‘Your grades are good. Your GPA is high. You’re involved in all these sports but just because your test score wasn’t high we can’t accept you.’ It’s just like why does my future have to be dependent on a number? I don’t know. I don’t know. It’s just like I’m so much more than that. It’s just like I feel like they don’t look at it like that.” — Focus Group Report
This website is dedicated to the valuable lessons we can learn from students’ own experiences about how to create better schools. Decisions about schooling are often made without listening deeply to students themselves. But students are in the best position to understand what they need in order to do well in school.
A collaboration of the Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative (TLPI), Harvard Law School and Massachusetts Advocates for Children (MAC). LEARN MORE
Marielys: Teachers who understand the material and help me
“Having teachers who understand the material and help me understand the process instead of just giving me the answer has really helped me out with the school year.” — Marielys
Juan: Classes need to be structured so students feel connected
“Classes and the curriculum need to be structured so students feel connected to what they are learning. A class shouldn’t just be taught by the handbook. I don’t look forward to attending classes where someone just hands me a worksheet or packet and expects me to know how to do the work already, or to just read a textbook. The classes I look forward to the most are those where genuine and engaging learning is taking place.” — Juan
Valancia: Schools are not factories
“Schools are not factories, they should be healthy learning environments where we are supported instead of stressed out.” — Valancia
Amayra: Those activities make me feel connected
“In some of my classes, we do activities like Quizlet Live, which is a learning game that groups students randomly. The groups compete to answer the questions first. Those activities make me feel connected with the students and make me notice how much social interaction helps teenagers be themselves and feel young again.” — Amayra
Trish: Students should be supported
“Students should be supported in taking on leadership roles that help us feel more involved in our classes.” — Trish