The scores are in . . .

Gretchen Wulfing shared with me today that our We the People Team took 13th in the nation, just three places and a small number of points shy of the coveted top ten. This is so affirming yet so heartbreaking for these kids. It affirms that their goal of top ten was within their sights and is something that is attainable in our program. It is also heartbreaking, because they were so close to realizing this goal.


It was reaffirmed for me by these young people the importance of passion in achieving one’s goals. They care about our government, our constitution, and the Bill of Rights. The passion that they have for these documents and the intentions of the founding fathers energized them to spend hundreds of hours beyond class time learning and forming cohesive units to present their arguments and share their knowledge.

It strikes me that we should be engaging with these and other young people about their education. What do they want? What do they need? What is working and not working? How do they make decisions about schedule and what drives them to succeed? We could and need to learn more from them. The structures are not in place, but need to be.

What do you think? Is it important to bring the student voice into the conversations about the future of education in our school system? If yes, then who, when, and how?