Empowering Students with the Student Tech Team Toolkit

“‘Can’t’ isn’t a breaking point, ‘can’t’ is a learning point,” says Chloe Parker, a seventh grader who became the first student in both her district and the Verizon Innovative Learning Schools network to perform a device repair under warranty. As a member of Jasper County Middle School’s student tech team, the Surge Squad, Chloe is part of a growing movement of students taking leadership roles in technology.

Student tech teams are groups of students who act as key enablers for establishing a consistent and sustained culture of powerful learning propelled by technology within their school community. It’s more than just a group of tech-savvy students; being a member of a tech team empowers students to lead their educational technology experience, fostering self-starters and critical thinkers.

Student tech teams help bridge digital equity gaps by empowering students to support technology initiatives in their schools. By participating, students can gain STEM skills, leadership experience, and hands-on learning opportunities—all while promoting a culture of collaboration and innovation.

Why Start a Student Tech Team?

Creating a student tech team can be a catalyst for empowering students to develop real-world transferable skills, engage in authentic leadership of their school community, and participate in self-directed and project-based learning¹. Building a team of student leaders is a sustainable way to transform a school’s culture around powerful learning with technology and to create lifelong digital citizens, innovators, and problem-solvers.

Student tech teams can provide:

• Leadership opportunities that boost student engagement
• Peer-to-peer and student-to-teacher technology support and knowledge-sharing
• A hands-on, STEM-focused learning environment
• A more inclusive and democratic school culture

Introducing the Student Tech Team Toolkit

The Student Tech Team Toolkit helps school leaders launch and sustain student tech teams. This resource provides guidance on:

• Starting and structuring your student tech team
• Integrating student-led digital learning
• Empowering students as technology leaders
• Creating a sustainable tech support system

With clear steps, best practices, and a sample timeline, the toolkit helps educators co-design meaningful technology opportunities for students. By empowering students to take on leadership roles in technology support and digital learning, schools can cultivate consistent access, promote coherent systems, and build digital competency—three of the five domains in Digital Promise’s K-12 Digital Equity Framework—ensuring every student has the opportunity to thrive in the digital age.

Ready to empower students as digital leaders? Explore the Student Tech Team Toolkit and start your student tech team today!

Learn more about Verizon Innovative Learning Schools and find out if your school or district is eligible to join.