Student Agency – Digital Promise

Student Agency

A graphic of a young student in a green T-shirt and a dialogue bubble to their left.

About the Priority Challenge

Districts seek innovative approaches to promote student engagement and agency that feel authentic and meaningful to students, connect the classroom with the real-world, and prepare students for college and careers.

However, creating student-driven learning environments, where students can exercise their agency and make more decisions about what they learn and how they learn, require additional planning time, resources, and training for educators. Incorporating opportunities for students to take ownership of their academic journey through course offerings, feedback loops, and varied learning resources require an additional infrastructure.

Challenge Statistics

I feel that teachers should ask students more [about] what they want to learn about that subject, or what they think is interesting.

—Student

To ensure educational excellence we need to continually redefine our educational systems. We need to find ways to get students more engaged in their own learning and give them ample opportunities to develop their own learning pathways. We need to ensure that there are pathways that give every student access to their own version of success.

—Educator

We feel that preparation for owning your own educational experience is important, and is done through offering rigorous curriculum materials and helping students explore the variety of options they can have after compulsory education.

—Community Member

What School Communities Say They Need

When reflecting on how students can have more agency over their learning, educators and students described the following needs.

Digital Promise Projects and Resources

Explore the tiles below to learn more about projects and resources that aim to strengthen student agency.

Ciena Solutions Challenge

The Ciena Solutions Challenge fosters student agency by providing resources for educators to facilitate Challenge Based Learning experiences where students explore big ideas, ask thoughtful questions, and create solutions to challenges that align with their interests and local contexts.

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Challenge Based Science Learning Toolkit

The Challenge Based Science Learning Toolkit guides educators in developing science units that build on student interest, lead to deeper learning, and engage students in using science to solve problems in their community.

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Student-Led Mental Health Teacher Professional Development

The Bristol Township School District team identified the challenge of addressing the role trauma plays in student mental health through a deep dive with a variety of school and community members including Bristol Cares Coalition, student, staff, and family surveys, and with their Equity Leadership Council.

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League of Innovative Students (LOIS)

LOIS builds the capacity of high school students to conduct research and development to shape the future of education.

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Resource Description
League of Innovative School Learning Collaboratives

League districts tackle common challenges through learning collaboratives focused on student agency, high school redesign, and leveraging technology.

Centering Student Voice and Engagement

Three districts within Digital Promise’s League of Innovative Schools share a roadmap for how other districts can center student voice and engage learners in empowering ways.

Empowering Students with the Student Tech Team Toolkit

Learn strategies for starting a student tech team at your school and boosting student engagement and leadership while creating lifelong digital citizens, innovators, and problem-solvers.

Student Agency and Academic Growth: A Case Study from Sylvan Hills Middle School

Sylvan Hills Middle Schools in Atlanta Public Schools transformed the instructional culture of their school by empowering students to analyze their school’s academic data and make decisions to drive powerful learning.

Strengthening Student Voice and Choice in Adolescent Writing: Socorro Independent School District (SISD)

Educators and community stakeholders from Socorro ISD examined context-specific challenges in secondary writing and developed and designed student-led prototype solutions.

Strengthening Student Voice and Choice in Adolescent Writing: Sunnyside Unified School District (SUSD)

Educators and community stakeholders from Sunnyside USD examined context-specific challenges in secondary writing and developed and designed student-led prototype solutions.

YouthMADE Festival

The YouthMADE Festival is a global, two-week celebration of creativity and innovation that showcases youth-led projects in STEM, advocacy, activism and community service, performing and fine arts, media, and more.

Learning Studios Project Library

The Learning Studios Project Library offers resources to help students design solutions to local challenges while developing skills in design thinking, engineering, and digital communication.

Educator Resources for the Ciena Solutions Challenge

This resource library provides students and teachers with activities to support their participation in the Ciena Solutions Challenge.

Engaging Students in Challenge Based Learning Experiences

Educators share ways to engage students in Challenge Based Learning experiences where students design thoughtful solutions to local challenges.

Drawing on Kinship: Rurally Sustaining Computational Thinking Pathways

This research-practice partnership engages students through content, problem-solving, computational thinking and heritage connections.

Resource
League of Innovative School Learning Collaboratives
Description

League districts tackle common challenges through learning collaboratives focused on student agency, high school redesign, and leveraging technology.

Resource
Centering Student Voice and Engagement
Description

Three districts within Digital Promise’s League of Innovative Schools share a roadmap for how other districts can center student voice and engage learners in empowering ways.

Resource
Empowering Students with the Student Tech Team Toolkit
Description

Learn strategies for starting a student tech team at your school and boosting student engagement and leadership while creating lifelong digital citizens, innovators, and problem-solvers.

Resource
Student Agency and Academic Growth: A Case Study from Sylvan Hills Middle School
Description

Sylvan Hills Middle Schools in Atlanta Public Schools transformed the instructional culture of their school by empowering students to analyze their school’s academic data and make decisions to drive powerful learning.

Resource
Strengthening Student Voice and Choice in Adolescent Writing: Socorro Independent School District (SISD)
Description

Educators and community stakeholders from Socorro ISD examined context-specific challenges in secondary writing and developed and designed student-led prototype solutions.

Resource
Strengthening Student Voice and Choice in Adolescent Writing: Sunnyside Unified School District (SUSD)
Description

Educators and community stakeholders from Sunnyside USD examined context-specific challenges in secondary writing and developed and designed student-led prototype solutions.

Resource
YouthMADE Festival
Description

The YouthMADE Festival is a global, two-week celebration of creativity and innovation that showcases youth-led projects in STEM, advocacy, activism and community service, performing and fine arts, media, and more.

Resource
Learning Studios Project Library
Description

The Learning Studios Project Library offers resources to help students design solutions to local challenges while developing skills in design thinking, engineering, and digital communication.

Resource
Educator Resources for the Ciena Solutions Challenge
Description

This resource library provides students and teachers with activities to support their participation in the Ciena Solutions Challenge.

Resource
Engaging Students in Challenge Based Learning Experiences
Description

Educators share ways to engage students in Challenge Based Learning experiences where students design thoughtful solutions to local challenges.

Resource
Drawing on Kinship: Rurally Sustaining Computational Thinking Pathways
Description

This research-practice partnership engages students through content, problem-solving, computational thinking and heritage connections.

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