Student Feedback – Is K-12 ready?

There is a growing conversation about formalizing student feedback in the K-12 setting.  A Saline High School student group called STRIVE (STudents Re-Investing in a Valuable Education) has been working to develop opportunities to have student voices heard regarding their own experiences in the education system.  I recently reviewed an article from the Harvard Educational Review that highlights the movement on student feedback in the Boston area.  The Boston Student Advisory Council asks a very good question.

“As people across the country discuss supporting and evaluating teachers, why are they not involving those with the most intimate knowledge of the classroom? As students, we are the ones in the classroom, and our futures are affected by what happens there every day.”

Over the last few years several Boston schools piloted teacher surveys that were distributed to students, with the feedback going directly to the teachers.   Recently the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education adopted an evaluation process that includes student feedback in the teacher evaluation process for the 2013-2014 school year.

In Saline, several of our staff at the high school have used the STRIVE survey to get student feedback, others have used their own end of course student surveys for several years.  Seeking feedback seems like a natural instinct, however, in a formal process, tied to teacher evaluations – it can be daunting.  We are continuing to think about ways we can incorporate student voices into the process for all of us – teachers, administrators…. and the superintendent.