ABOUT

Established in 1965, the Regional Education Labs conduct research to help educators, policymakers, and communities improve their schools. They also develop, field test, and refine educational tools and strategies. Administered by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, the Regional Lab network represents the largest research and development investment made by the U.S. Department of Education.

TOOLS

Listening to Student Voices Toolkit The Network of Regional Educational Laboratories, with NWREL as the lead laboratory, developed four tools that offer pragmatic, manageable ways for schools to conduct self-study aided and enriched by student help. The four tools are: Structured Reflection Protocol, a time-efficient dialogue process centered on improving student learning and student work; Student-Led Focus Group, a way to hear students while enabling adults to listen and use what they hear; Data in a Day, a technique that allows a school to involve many stakeholders and quickly gain data on an issue important to the school community; Analyzing Surveys with Kids, a simple process that engages students as a school data collection and analysis workforce. An introductory package includes an informational brochure, a booklet describing the four tools, four stories of schools that have used the tools successfully, and a 10-minute video showing the tools in action. Order entire toolkit online | Order introductory package online

Look Who's Talking Now: Student Views of Restructuring Schools SoundOut review

Structured Reflection Protocol: A Collaborative Tool to Improve Student and Teacher Learning Videotape Part of the Listening to Student Voices Toolkit, this video shows scenes of the Structured Reflection Protocol being used in diverse school settings- elementary, high school, rural, urban, and suburban- as a way for teachers to learn with and from one another.

In Their Words: Student-Led Focus Group Video Part of the Listening to Student Voices Toolkit, this video shows how to use focus groups to involve student voices in school improvement.

Stop, Look, Listen: Using Data in a Day to Assess Your School Community Videotape Part of the Listening to Student Voices Toolkit, this video brings parents, teachers, and students together as researchers to collect and analyze data about their school, providing an opportunity to publicly affirm accomplishments as well as identify areas that need improvement. Scenes are included from diverse school settings, including elementary, high school, dual-language, rural, urban, and suburban.

Action Research Guide [PDF] Part of the Brown LAB’s ongoing Themes in Education series, this booklet presents an overview of action research as a method for educational inquiry. The booklet answers questions about what is and is not action research, describes the action research process, and offers reflections from two educators on their experiences of using action research to improve their own teaching and their students’ learning. 

ToolBelt NCREL’s ToolBelt is a website that features data-driven, decision-making tools for educators. It demonstrates how educators can collect data about their classrooms, schools, or districts through the use of information-gathering tools including checklists, surveys, and software.

Discussing Reform: Tools for Facilitating a Focus Group Guidebook [PDF] This handbook includes a set of tools designed for leading small groups in investigating the status of school reform. Developed as part of a Brown LAB study on the changing roles of state departments of education, these tools have been successfully adapted to discussions of varied but specific reform initiatives in very different state environments, including urban, suburban, and rural areas. 

EXAMPLES

ARTICLES

The Power of Students' Voices Linda Darling-Hammond on why student voices are important in school change.

This list compiled with information from What Kids Can Do and from NWREL.