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Student-led change boosts attendance in a Denver school
By Kari Nelsestuen
Categories: Continuous improvementDecember 2025
It was a regular Tuesday afternoon at Respect Academy, an alternative school serving students ages 17 to 21 in Denver, Colorado. Teacher Casey Chiofolo joined a Zoom meeting with a coach from Community Design Partners about how to improve students’ low attendance and engagement. He had recently held focus groups with students about their experiences in their first period advisory class. Chiofolo said, “We’ve got all these rich stories and insights from students. Now what do we do?” The coach, Julie Smith, replied with a question of her own: “What do you think about bringing all the findings back to the students?” This question would move Respect Academy further along a path to increasing student voice and meaningful engagement in school. Partnering with students to
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References
Bahou, L. (2012). Cultivating student agency and teachers as learners in one Lebanese school. Educational Action Research, 20(2), 233-250.
Conner, J., Mitra, D.L., Holquist, S.E., Rosado, E., Wilson, C., & Wright, N.L. (2024). The pedagogical foundations of student voice practices: The role of relationships, differentiation, and choice in supporting student voice practices in high school classrooms. Teaching and Teacher Education, 142, Article 104540.
Geurts, E.M.A., Reijs, R.P., Leenders, H.H.M., Jansen, M.W.J., & Hoebe, C.J.P.A. (2024). Co-creation and decision-making with students about teaching and learning: A systematic literature review. Journal of Educational Change, 25, 103-125.
Hipolito‐Delgado, C.P., Stickney, D., Zion, S., & Kirshner, B. (2022). Transformative student voice for sociopolitical development: Developing youth of color as political actors. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 32(3), 1098-1108.
Lyons, L.B. & Brasof, M. (2020). Building the capacity for student leadership in high school: A review of organizational mechanisms from the field of student voice. Journal of Educational Administration, 58(3), 357-372.
Kari Nelsestuen is the co-founder of Community Design Partners where she helps teams engage youth, families, and communities in design and decision-making, strengthen teamwork, and redesign systems through continuous improvement.
Categories: Continuous improvement
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