In order to increase knowledge and understanding of educational settings as inclusive communities we strive to understand what supports inclusion as well as to critique barriers. Increasingly we are seeking to understand inclusion from the inside, from the perspective of the students. Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child upholds children's rights to express their views in matters that affect them and to have those views taken into consideration and acted upon, that is, actively included in decision-making. A serious consideration of Article 12 involves two rights: the right to express a view and the right to have those views given due weight. In this volume we will share a compilation of research from Aotearoa New Zealand and beyond that aimed to access and listen to the views of students. We have brought together voices of students from different educational contexts, seeking their perspectives on learning, wellbeing, disciplinary procedures, literacy intervention and what makes schools good.

In order to increase knowledge and understanding of educational settings as inclusive communities we strive to understand what supports inclusion as well as to critique barriers. Increasingly we are seeking to understand inclusion from the inside, from the perspective of the students. Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child upholds children’s rights to express their views in matters that affect them and to have those views taken into consideration and acted upon, that is, actively included in decision-making. A serious consideration of Article 12 involves two rights: the right to express a view and the right to have those views given due weight. In this volume we will share a compilation of research from Aotearoa New Zealand and beyond that aimed to access and listen to the views of students. We have brought together voices of students from different educational contexts, seeking their perspectives on learning, wellbeing, disciplinary procedures, literacy intervention and what makes schools good.

By the close of the twentieth century, the United States became known for its reliance on incarceration as the chief means of social control, particularly in poor communities of color. The carceral state has been extended into the public school system in these communities in what has become known as the "school-to-prison pipeline." Through interviews with young people suspended from school, Weissman examines the impact of zero tolerance and other harsh disciplinary approaches that have transformed schools into penal-like institutions. In their own words, students describe their lives, the challenges they face, and their efforts to overcome those challenges. Unlike other studies, this book illuminates the students’ perspectives on what happens when the educational system excludes them from regular school. Weissman draws attention to research findings that suggest punitive disciplinary policies and practices resemble criminal justice strategies of arrest, trial, sentence, and imprisonment. She demonstrates how harsh school discipline prepares young people from poor communities of color for their place in the carceral state. An invaluable resource for policy makers, Prelude to Prison presents recommendations for policy, practice, and political change that have the potential to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline.

By the authors of the bestselling 13th Gen, an incisive, in-depth examination of the Millennials--the generation born after 1982. In this remarkable account, certain to stir the interest of educators, counselors, parents, and people in all types of business as well as young people themselves, Neil Howe and William Strauss provide the definitive analysis of a powerful generation: the Millennials. Having looked at oceans of data, taken their own polls, talked to hundreds of kids, parents, and teachers, and reflected on the rhythms of history, Howe and Strauss explain how Millennials have turned out to be so dramatically different from Xers and boomers. Millennials Rising provides a fascinating narrative of America's next great generation.

If educational reform is to succeed, it must attend to the perspectives of students--those most directly affected by schooling but least often consulted about its efficacy. This is the premise of the first book both to feature student perspectives on school and to foreground student voices; middle and high school students are the primary authors of the eight chapters collected in this volume aptly titled In Our Own Words. Reflecting differences of gender, racial, and ethnic background, and school context, the student authors write passionately and eloquently about their experiences of and desires for school. Through their explorations of topics as diverse as bilingual education, class cutting, teacher bias, race relations in school, what girls need from their education, and innovative curricular models, these student authors not only counter stereotypes of apathetic teenagers but also clearly identify what hinders and what supports their learning. For both the insights offered and the freshness of the students' voices, this collection is a must read for anyone who has a stake in making school a place where students can and want to learn.

Much has been written about how to engage students in their learning, but very little of it has issued from students themselves. Compiled by one of the leading scholars in the field of student voice, this sourcebook draws on the perspectives of secondary students in the United States, England, Canada, and Australia as well as on the work of teachers, researchers, and teacher educators who have collaborated with a wide variety of students.Highlighting student voices, it features five chapters focused on student perspectives, articulated in their own words, regarding specific approaches to creating and maintaining a positive classroom environment and designing engaging lessons and on more general issues of respect and responsibility in the classroom. To support educators in developing strategies for accessing and responding to student voices in their own classrooms, the book provides detailed guidelines created by educational researchers for gathering and acting upon student perspectives. To illustrate how these approaches work in practice, the book includes stories of how pre-service and in-service teachers, school leaders, and teacher educators have made student voices and participation central to their classroom and school practices. And finally, addressing both practical and theoretical questions, the book includes a chapter that outlines action steps for high school teachers, school leaders, and teacher educators and a chapter that offers a conceptual framework for thinking about and engaging in this work. Bringing together in a single text student perspectives, descriptions of successful efforts to access them in secondary education contexts, concrete advice for practitioners, and a theoretical framework for further exploration, this sourcebook can be used to guide practice and support re-imagining education in secondary schools of all kinds, and the principles can be adapted for other educational contexts.

Education.