The Student Power Movement in 2021

Nationwide, K-12 schools and districts have definite problems meeting tech needs right now. Every year Education Week shares a report called “Technology Counts,” and this year, during the pandemic, the biggest repeating issue isn’t student connectivity, but tech problems. Underfunded districts, over-burdened teachers, and incapacitated students are the many cause of these problems.

This isn’t just some big picture problem, either. Instead, it affects nearly every teacher in every classroom around the world right now. Earlier this week, a teacher friend of mine posted this as their status:

Dumpster fire. The most accurate description of my 4 lessons today, technology issues in every class, can’t easily see student work (beyond frustrating), exit tickets take more than 10 minutes of my precious class time. Hybrid teaching is *really* freaking hard. If you know a teacher, thank them because this is not what any teacher wants to be doing right now.

More than ever before, every part of the education system needs to be supporting teachers right now. This is true whether they’re facilitating online, hybrid, or in-person classes right now. As much as possible.

For more than two decades I’ve been working in schools, I have always called on one consistent force to support teachers, and that is student power. Student power is made of three parts:

Skills: Concrete and unnamed abilities to get things done
Knowledge: Constructed and collected facts and information
Traits: Distinguishing qualities or characteristics

Right now, our nonprofit is creating new ways to engage student power throughout the education system right now, and we want you to join us.

This year, almost 100 K-12 schools nationwide are joining me on this journey. Facilitators are participating in weekly meetings, teachers in a dozen states are coming to our workshops, and students are working hard in their schools right now. We have a lot more coming fast, and the doors are wide open for your energy, excitement and enthusiasm!

Are you interested in joining the Student Power Movement? Send me an email and I’ll share details with you.