Leadership Symposium: Centering Student Voice for Safe and Supportive Schools

For School Leaders

Michael Gregory is a Clinical Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and Faculty Director of the Youth Advocacy and Policy Lab (Y-Lab). He engages in legislative advocacy to promote trauma-sensitive schools, works to raise the voices of young people in education decision-making through the Students Speak initiative (https://students-speak.org), represents students and parents in special education proceedings, and currently  serves as co-counsel in Kentucky Student Voice Team v. Commonwealth of Kentucky, a case seeking to enforce students’ state constitutional right to an adequate and equitable education that prepares them for democracy.

Marissa T. del Rosario, LICSW is a Trauma-Sensitive Schools Specialist for the Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative (TLPI), a program of Harvard Law School’s Youth Advocacy and Policy Lab (Y-Lab).  In this role, she supports TLPI’s work with educators in creating trauma-sensitive, safe and supportive schools, and participates in TLPI’s innovative Student Speak initiative, supporting young people to raise their voice in educational decision-making.  Prior to joining TLPI, Marissa worked in urban and rural school districts as both an educator and as a licensed clinical social worker.  She has expertise in working with students, families, and school personnel at all levels to help remove barriers to students’ educational success.

Presented by: The Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative (TLPI) of Harvard Law School’s Youth Advocacy and Policy Lab (Y-Lab) and the Lesley Institute for Trauma Sensitivity (LIfTS) of Lesley University.

Dates: Monday, July 14th and Tuesday, July 15th

Cost: $250

Location: Harvard Square, at Lesley Library and Harvard Law School

This leadership symposium invites school leaders to experience the power and importance of student voice in shaping safe and supportive learning environments. Decisions about schooling are often made without listening deeply to students themselves. Participants will hear from members of the Students Speak Youth Leadership Team and begin to examine how existing power dynamics can shift to create more opportunity for authentic and meaningful engagement of student voice.  This symposium is designed for school leaders at every level and across every area of schools. The symposium will be in-person for one and a half days.

The symposium will kick off with the LIfTS convening Keynote on July 13 (virtual) and includes in-person sessions on July 14 and 15th.

  • Sunday Evening: LIfTS Convening Keynote| 5:00 – 6:00

  • Monday Morning: 9:00 – 12:00

  • Lunch Break: 12:00 - 1:00       

  • Monday Afternoon: 1:00 – 3:00

  • Tuesday Morning: 9:00 – 12:00

What to Expect:
Participants will explore how student voice can drive meaningful school change. Decisions about schooling are often made without listening deeply to students themselves. This can result in a number of troubling conditions we often see in schools, including students’ sense of disempowerment and disconnection from the school community. This also often results in decisions that fail to reflect students’ needs and lived experiences.  But students are in the best position to understand what they need in order to do well in school.  There is a need to rehumanize the relationships in the school community so that students play an essential role and have a say in determining not only what needs to be addressed, but what to do in order to address the identified urgencies. 

  • Define the most urgent needs in their school communities.

  • Examine the transformative beliefs that shape inclusive leadership.

  • Engage in collaborative problem-solving to promote supportive school cultures.

  • Explore how authentic student participation drives meaningful school change.

Guiding Questions:

  • What can we learn from authentic student participation?

  • What beliefs guide your leadership practice?

  • What shared understandings are essential across the school community?

  • How can we engage in reflective action as leaders?

  • Why is student voice critical to leadership?

  • What barriers prevent us from fully listening to all stakeholders?

Objectives:

Leaders will

  • Explore how culture, climate, and beliefs impact school safety

  • Learn from students to better understand ways to create trauma-sensitive learning environments

  • Plan to involve students in decision-making

Important components:

  • Develop a shared understanding

  • Collaborate on reflective action planning

  • Centering transformative beliefs