MA Students Use Power of Persuasion, Lobbying for Busing Program The echoes of fervent speeches as well as hand-clapping, foot-stomping dance bounced through the marbled assembly area of the State House yesterday, propelling students into the role of lobbyists for their program, the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity, located in Boston.

Students, Districts Reconsider School Discrimination Policies, with Changes to Education Code Students are joining administrators and boards in Sacramento, California, in talking about discrimination in schools. Schools have been changing or considering changes to their policies regarding harassment and student safety, responding to a local controversy regarding homosexual issues, for more than a year.

State Education Agency Embraces Meaningful Student Involvement The Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction recently released their 2005 School Improvement Process Handbook. The Handbook highlights the need for meaningful student involvement in school improvement efforts, and includes an extensive tip sheet and resource section on student voice.

School Board Agrees to Heed Federal Law and Permit Gay-Straight Alliance Club Officials at White County High School in Cleveland, Georgia have agreed to drop their attempts to stop students from forming a gay-straight alliance club. The agreement comes after several weeks of negotiation between the school and the ACLU of Georgia.

EDUCATION WEEK: Students Need to Lead Schools A leading national weekly publication on public education recently printed a commentary suggesting that, "If we want kids to become responsible adults, we should expect them to take more responsibility for their education." The article cites the case of Kennebunk High School in Maine.

Student Suspended for Web Site Photos of Principal Smoking is Vindicated A high school student in Providence, Rhode Island, who caught his principal breaking a state anti-smoking law on film was suspended after he posted the photos on the Internet. But the school district reversed course yesterday, wiping Eliazar Velasquez's suspension from his record, and saying the principal was not setting a good example for students.

Students Hope to Persuade School Board to Use Biodiesel in School Buses The day Dylan Pickus carried around a pale yellow concoction in a wide-mouthed jar at Harbour Pointe Middle School, in Mukilteo, Washington, one of his teachers asked if the contents could explode. If anything, Dylan, 13, and four classmates believe the homemade brew might improve the air quality around them. It was biodiesel.

Student Voices for School Change Gateway Regional High School in Huntington, Massachusetts has been very busy promoting student voice in the school. Little did they know, however, just how strong that voice would become when drastic budget cuts left students with no activities, clubs, or sports after school. Promoting student voice isn't filling the gymnasium for a student rally. It doesn't mean students talk whenever they want to in class or take over the PA system.

Efficient, Effective Model The Avon Maitland District School Board in suburban Ontario, Canada, has adopted an effective model of student representation that allows for broad student representation and efficient student participation on the board of trustees.