Writing a Student Voice Bill – 2026
The Students Speak Youth Leadership Team (YLT) is currently working to draft a bill to increase student voice in educational decision making in Massachusetts. Hopefully, this bill will be filed with the legislature and passed into law!
The YLT has conducted research on 8 different policies that could increase student voice. During the 2026-27 school year, the YLT will meet with other youth serving organizations, as well as adult organizations, to gather feedback on which of these 8 options they should include in their bill. The YLT will then work to get input on its bill and build a statewide advocacy coalition. Building on all this groundwork, they will seek to have the introduced in the legislature during the 2027-2029 legislative session.
Get Involved!
If you are a young person or adult with a youth-serving organization and you would like the Youth Leadership Team to come facilitate a conversation with a group of young people about these policy options, contact Marissa del Rosario at mdelrosario@law.harvard.edu.
You can also use the resources below to help build the movement for student voice in Massachusetts by leading conversations with students you know!
8 Student Voice Policy Options
Student Voice Committees
School-based teams of mostly students that meet with adult school leaders to discuss school policies about school culture, school rules, student life, and more!
Research Brief (coming soon)
School Hiring Committees
Students participate with adults in making school hiring decisions.
Research Brief (coming soon)
School Councils
Formal school-level committees that already exist in Massachusetts. They help set school policies and are supposed to include students, but often do not.
Research Brief (coming soon)
Lowering the Voting Age
Youth who are 16 or older would gain the right to vote in local school committee elections.
Research Brief (coming soon)
Education Standards Revision
Students would have input when Massachusetts sets or revises the standards that outline what students should learn in academic subjects.
Participatory Budgeting
Students spend the year considering projects to improve their school and then vote on how to spend part of the school budget.
Research Brief (coming soon)
Teacher Evaluations
Student surveys would capture how students feel about their teachers and this input would be included in teachers’ professional feedback.
Research Brief (coming soon)
School Committees
Massachusetts school committees would be required to include student representatives with full voting rights.
Research Brief (coming soon)
Resources
The YLT has developed the resources below to help you build the movement for student voice in Massachusetts by leading conversations with students you know!
- Educational Decision Making in Massachusetts – Use this memo to learn about how education decisions currently get made in our state
- Glossary – Use this resource to learn what confusing or unfamiliar terms mean
- Student Voice Policy Options Booklet (link) – Read this cool booklet that students at the 2026 Student Speak Youth Summit used to learn about the eight student voice policy options!
- Slide Show (link) – Use these slides to hold a meeting or conduct a conversation with your peers!
- Fact Sheet (link) – Use this one-page document as a handout to help guide a discussion about the policy options!
- Survey (link) – Take this survey to record your own opinion and share the link with others! (1 response per person please!)
