There are multiple projects that address strategy 4.3, provide consistent opportunities for youth, parents, and community members to provide feedback on district policies and practices. The following projects are outlined below: CityWide, Youth Participatory Evaluation (YPE), Parent Participatory Evaluation (PPE), and the Equity and Diversity Impact Assessment (EDIA).
The CityWide Student Leadership Board, composed of high school students representing the diverse student body of MPS, collaborates with district leaders to advocate and advise on the needs of young people. CityWide members and district leaders work collaboratively to share information and perspectives, gather data, and create recommendations on an topics or issues aligned with one of the four goals of MPS’ Strategic Plan. Additionally, the group has shared feedback on various district initiatives, policies, and practices as they are being reviewed or redesigned (e.g. the Hate and Bias Protocol, the North CTE center, Student Rights and Responsibilities handbook, and the Equity Rubric for reviewing curriculum). Our CityWide student leaders have also gathered and uplifted youth voices from the greater MPS community by hosting a high school listening session, connecting with elementary and middle school leadership teams, facilitating leadership summits, and visiting political and community leaders. Their goal is to make the educational experience better for ALL MPS students. Serving both as members of the CityWide Student Leadership Board and as on the MPS School Board, two Student Representatives act as a bridge between the two groups. Thus informing the Board on how decisions they make can impact students.
Youth Voice Advisors and Youth Participatory Evaluation (YPE) participants value young people’s expertise and knowledge about their educational experience. This process assists young people in systematically collecting and amplifying student voices with the individual operations and community of a school. Youth Voice Advisors seek to empower the students who are affected by an issue to take the lead in the evaluation - gathering input from others affected to figuring out what’s working and what’s not working, and ultimately, making informed recommendations about what needs to change. The 2023-24 school year has been a transition year, as there has been much turnover in school administrators and advisors over the last few years. YPE under Student Engagement focused on making student voice included in any format through the decision process at the school level, educating stakeholders on the importance of youth voice, reestablishing groups, building up advisor data collection skills, and making sure the right decision-makers are hearing their recommendations. This year's project themes have included peer-to-peer interactions, communication directly with students (from administration or other students), student-to-adult relationships, and pride in identity (Spanish pathway).
Overall, by moving YPE under the purview of Student Engagement, we have been able to strengthen the pathway of youth voice and advocacy in MPS. Ideally, students are exposed to the ideas and skills of youth leadership and advocacy in elementary school so they are able to see that their voice matters and develop these skills as they transition to middle and high school. As they progress through their schooling, the goals of these programs are to provide opportunities for ALL students to give feedback and positively influence their educational experience.
Parent Participatory Evaluation (PPE) is a program that trains caregivers as evaluators in order to conduct an evaluation project related to their experience in Minneapolis Public Schools. Currently, PPE is run as a site-based model where a staff member from a school site supports parents in developing an evaluation project at the school level. Evaluation staff in REA provide materials and consultation to school staff running the program. The sites participating in PPE this year are: Jenny Lind, Anishinabe Academy, Cityview, and Heritage.
The Equity and Diversity Impact Assessment (EDIA) is a set of reflective tools and guided processes for schools, departments, and district policy owners to evaluate policies, practices, and budgets with an equity lens that significantly impact student learning and resource allocation. There are four distinct EDIA processes - the Full EDIA, Equity Considerations for Budgeting, Equity Considerations for Policies, and Equity Considerations for Practices. It is recommended that all of these processes include feedback from relevant stakeholders, such as students, caregivers, staff, and community members (as appropriate). This year, REA completed a Full EDIA on Transportation. Feedback was gathered from students, caregivers, and staff.
