Students Speak: Advocating Student Choice Within Schools

When students speak, the education world must stop and listen. Welcome to the “Students Speak” series on Future of School: The Podcast, presented in partnership with National School Choice Week.

 

Rhegan McCall, a high school sophomore in Colorado, is today’s guest. Rhegan attends a private Jesuit school in which she enrolled just days before the start of high school, largely due to challenges her prior school was facing as a result of the pandemic.

Rhegan has had a deep understanding of school choice from a young age. From online learning pre-pandemic to choosing advancement pathways, Rhegan shows how students are picking up on alternative forms of education from the zeitgeist and championing choice within their schools.

In her conversation with Future of School CEO Amy Valentine, Rhegan talks about how quickly she had to change not only her school but also her expectations for high school. Although the transition was difficult, she found a place for advocacy and leadership in her new school, opening a conversation for herself and other students to explore alternative education paths.

Rhegan discusses her wish for more choice in her schooling, particularly the ability to graduate early. In attempting to graduate early, she lays a clear argument for how students have more choice in their education path. “This could be a good thing. This could help your institution and give individuals and students another way to education…” says Rhegan, “… I feel that it’s something a lot of people want to do but don’t know how to do. If educators could help students, that could be very beneficial.”

In exploring her options outside of a traditional classroom and education path, Rhegan believes that student self-advocacy and educator collaboration are essential. The change she wants to see is choice within the school and how much students should have control of their education. She believes that open and transparent communication with support networks like parents, teachers, and administrators is a way for students to explore options and uphold the kind of education they want to receive.

Future of School: The Podcast is hosted by Amy Valentine, CEO and Education Evangelist for Future of School. Subscribe to hear more Students Speak episodes along with upcoming series from Future of School. Follow Future of School on Twitter @futureof_school, follow Amy @amyvalentine555, and learn more on our website: www.futureof.school

National School Choice Week is a not-for-profit, charitable effort to raise awareness of effective K–12 education options for children. NSCW focuses equally on traditional public schools, public charter schools, public magnet schools, private schools, online schools, and homeschools. Participate in the conversation by following @schoolchoicewk on Twitter and using the hashtag #schoolchoiceweek. Learn more at https://schoolchoiceweek.com

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