This document discusses Project Tomorrow's work listening to K-12 students' ideas through the Speak Up research project. It provides context about Project Tomorrow, an organization that has collected feedback from over 6.2 million students and stakeholders since 2003 to understand trends in education. The document summarizes a panel discussion with students sharing their perspectives on engagement in school and learning. It encourages education leaders to listen to students' views to help translate them into new ideas that can improve learning experiences for all.

1. Envisioning the future by listening
to the ideas of our students
Julie A. Evans, Ed.D.
Chief Executive Officer
Project Tomorrow
@JulieEvans_PT
jevans@tomorrow.org June 14, 2022

2. Many thanks to:

3. About Project Tomorrow
(www.tomorrow.org)
 Nonprofit education organization supporting K-12 education since 1996
 Mission: to support the development of new leadership capacities
within the K-12 ecosystem through the translation of research into
practice
 Core belief: the voices and views of K-12 stakeholders can be a valuable
asset for stimulating change in education if used effectively
 Programs and research: focus on understanding the impact of new
learning models, including digital learning, on student outcomes and
educator effectiveness

4. About the Speak Up Research Project
 A leadership support tool for education leaders in schools,
districts, states and supporting organizations.
 A free turnkey service for schools and districts to collect
feedback from students, parents, teachers and
administrators. Includes local reports with state and
national comparative data.
 A process to effectively use the authentic views and ideas of
K-12 stakeholders as an asset to inform decisions,
programs, policies, funding and new initiatives.
 A reliable and valid source for understanding key national
and state trends in education since 2003.
Facilitated annually by Project Tomorrow, Speak Up is:
Most comprehensive data set on digital learning includes
feedback from over 6.2 million K-12 stakeholders.

5. 1. Why listen to the ideas of
our students?
2. How can we use those
ideas to improve learning
experiences for all
students?
For today’s discussion, what is our starting point?

6. Are we all seeing the same things?
Do your students see learning and
school in the same way we do?

7. Are we all seeing the same things?
Do your students see learning and
school in the same way we do?
For today:
 Suspend our assumptions
 Be open to new perspectives
 Respect the views of the students

8. Today’s student panel discussion – via video clips
Speak Up Congressional Briefing
October 2021
Virtual
NSBA Advocacy Summit
January 2022
In person – Washington DC
Discussion themes:
 Defining student engagement in
school and learning
 Students’ preferences for learning
 Designing a better school or
classroom learning experience

9. Let’s hear from our student panelists!
 Trinity, Grade 7, Virginia
 Oscar, Grade 9, Maryland
 Mirakle, Grade 11, New York
 Joseph, Grade 11, Texas
 Remington, Grade 12, Virginia
 Remy, Grade 12, California
 Ava, Grade 12, Wisconsin
Speak Up Congressional Briefing
October 2021
Virtual
NSBA Advocacy Summit
January 2022
In person – Washington DC

10. Defining student
engagement in school
and learning

11. Student engagement in learning: Remington

12. Student engagement in learning: Remy

13. Student engagement in learning: Mirakle

14. Student engagement in learning: Joseph

15. Are students engaged in what they are learning in school?
“I am engaged in what
I am learning in school
most of the time”
% of students that agree and disagree with this statement
2019-20
school year
2020-21
school year
2021-22
school year
Students in grades 6-12
Agree
Disagree
52%
48%
50%
50%
50%
50%
Speak Up results from diverse sampling of 126,000 students in grades 6-12

16. Student engagement in learning: Oscar

17. Student engagement in learning: Ava

18. Student engagement in learning: Trinity

19. Student engagement in learning: Joseph

20. Where do we go from here?
1. What did you learn from these
students?
2. How do we effectively translate
stakeholders’ views and
aspirations into powerful new
ideas for education
improvement?

21. To access the complete set of student
panels, visit www.tomorrow.org
https://tomorrow.org/speakup/speakup_congress.html

22. Additional resources and information
www.tomorrow.org

23. To learn more . . . .
 To get a copy of today’s
presentation deck
 To learn more about
Project Tomorrow and the
Speak Up Research Project
 To connect with us about
potential collaborations

24. Julie A. Evans, Ed.D.
Chief Executive Officer
Project Tomorrow
jevans@tomorrow.org
@JulieEvans_PT
949-609-4661
Envisioning the future by listening
to the ideas of our students