As I completed the SoundOut Student Voice Curriculum I compiled a list of basic knowledge about the education system students need to have in order to be effective school change agents. This is based on my experience working with hundreds of students in schools across the U.S., as well as consulting with teachers from a wide range of schools who are doing this work everyday.

An Overview of Public Schools

• Intro to the School System
• Reflecting on Your Education

Student Voice 101

• Student Rights
• Intro to Meaningful Student Involvement
• Advocating for Students

Student/Adult Partnerships

• Working with Adults Allies
• Adults as Roadblocks
• Action Research for School Change and Student Evaluations of School

Learning about Learning

• Which 3 Rs today: Reading, Writing and Arithmetic or Relevance, Rigor and Relationships?
• Understanding Basic Curriculum
• Assessing School Performance

Learning Outside of School

• Project-based learning, service learning and more
• When Homework Matters
• Out-of-School Learning
• Homeschooling, Unschooling and Taking Control of Your Learning
• Summertime Doesn't Suck

The Politics of Schools

• What Lies Behind, Underneath and Within Education and Reform
• Standardized Learning and Testing
• What Happens After the Test?
• The Future of Schools

Let me know what you think, what's missing, and what I should take out. Thanks!