As the federal role in K–12 education wanes, local leadership holds greater sway. Yet when it comes to setting education policies, programs and priorities, student input remains largely tokenistic. In most school districts, only a handful of academically successful, self-selected students are invited to serve in advisory roles. Meanwhile, parents are still widely treated as the most credible narrators of their children’s school experiences.
But compelling new research reveals a troubling disconnect.
A 2025 Brookings Institution report,The Disengagement Gap, based on surveys of over 65,000 students (grades 3–12) and 2,000 parents, exposes stark mismatches between what students experience and what parents perceive.
Only 26% of 10th graders say they love school — yet 65% of their parents believe they do.
Only 44% say they learn a lot most of the time — compared to 72% of parents.
Only 29% say they learn about topics they’re interested in — versus 71% of parents.
Only 33% say they develop their own ideas — while 69% of parents assume they do.
Only 42% say they use thinking skills beyond memorization — compared to 78% of parents.
Only 39% say they feel a sense of belonging at school — yet 62% of parents think they do.
The report recommends tools like the Leaps Student Voice Survey to monitor engagement—but surveys alone aren’t enough. Policymakers must reach out to students who feel unseen or silenced: those in alternative schools, students with disabilities, teen parents, students who are bored, bullied, disengaged, or chronically absent. Their perspectives are not fringe—they are central.
These gaps indicate we need to resetfor effective systemic change. Many of students have internalized years of being ignored. That’s why their insights are so critical.
Real engagement means more than the proverbial “listening” (though it seems that could use some resetting too). It calls for educators, school board members and administrators to value students as expert witnesses of their own experience. It also demands committed and knowledgeable experts to seek to build genuine rapport for students to open up because they can discern that this is not another “faux” focus group.
In the words of one of my mentors:
“Why do adults ask us to be open-minded when they don’t rethink what they believe?
– Milly Asherov, Classical High School Class of 2022
We must move beyond the habit of overvaluing parent perceptions and underestimating student realities. The future of education depends on listening differently—responding collaboratively—and respecting students not just as learners, but as co-creators.
IMPORTANT CAVEAT My focus on positioning students in the front row with policymakers fails to address the bigger picture of our failing education system. There is deep analysis and solutions in this new book, The Disengaged Teen:Helping Kids Learn Better, Feel Better, and Live Better. Check out a wide- ranging discussion with one of the authors Dr. Rebecca Winthrop on The Ezra Klein Show.
How decision makers can go the extra mile by listening to those under age 18 and then take action.
Community listening sessions and summits held by policymakers can provide valuable clues about systemic problems and generate pragmatic remedies. If ideas receive a perfunctory thank you and no followup discussion occurs, the lack of response can cement cynicism.
“Youth voice” is today’s mantra for encouraging teens to speak up but this high school student expresses deep frustration felt by many aspiring change agents.
“I think the biggest challenge we face is not being heard. I have encountered adults who ask us what is wrong or what do you need, and they say ‘I hear you.’ But they don’t do anything. It’s a fake presence. It’s fake love. ‘I’m here for you,’ but not really”.– Keyon Williams, Anacostia High School
Decision makers have a tough job being responsive to the multitude of grievances and solutions offered by people from all walks of life. The powers-that-be have to go the extra mile to keep the dialogue going with people under age 18 because most of these non-voters don’t see the value in sharing their insights because their ideas are not valued.
Premeditated Inclusion!
Intentional commitments and accountability are essential to replace performative acts of youth engagement. This is new and not easy. We are watching events unfold in Rhode Island with the hope that this time serious and sustained collaboration with public school students happens. Specific advice is noted below that is relevant to any adult-run organization that is ready to engage in radical inclusion with those most impacted and furthest from power.
The newly elected Mayor Brett Smiley pledged to address the ongoing crisis of the Providence Public School District that continues to be under state control. During his first week in office, he held a three-hour education listening session. This forum can be seen on the UPriseRI channel.
Smiley’s opening remarks thanked parents, teachers, advocates and many policymakers for participating in this event. Make sure to mention the primary stakeholders – those who spend 35 hours a week in the classroom.
Following breakout sessions, each group reported highlights of their discussion. Often at many public hearings where decision makers look at their cell phones, engage in side conversations or leave the room. Mayor Smiley appeared attentive during the presentations by Jayliana and Kim, two high school students pictured above.
Several Recommendations
MENTAL HEALTH – redirect the funds earmarked for police in schools to provide more support for counselors
ADA – install ramps in schools and do not require a doctor’s note for a student to use an elevator
AFTER SCHOOL LEARNING – provide stipends and advertise these opportunities
DISTRICT-WIDE STUDENT COUNCIL – identify and address disparities and “center youth voices, reach out to youth and tell them that we’re here to listen”
The friendly MC for this first event held by the Mayor praised the students for sticking to the time limit and urged the other breakout groups to follow their example. Not a single word was uttered by anyone on stage about the substance of the issues they raised. Decision makers have to go out of their way to prove they are listening and hearing what young people are saying and then they must promise to wrestle with those ideas. Students, who decide to invest their time and expertise, have to be met with genuine respect and open minds.
Prior to this Education Workshop, the Mayor received a letter of demands by the Providence Student Union. One might think this youth-led advocacy organization would have given up on the powers-that-be and they even use the words “multi-generational collaboration.”
We at the Providence Student Union believe in multi-generational collaboration. Improving our school system cannot come at the expense of those currently attending these spaces every day and cannot happen without working together with those who hold various roles in our community.
Will the Mayor and his administration commit to a timetable?
Will he announce concrete steps to put in place a structure in response to these two specific proposals for a district-wide student council and a working group with all stakeholders?
Will students be involved in designing how these groups will operate?
Will there be dedicated staff to communicate and convene regularly with these groups?
Will there be workshops where the adults and students create norms that ensure everyone shares the mic and is on an equal footing?
Heed the advice of this recent Providence Public School District graduate who is one of my best teachers:
Why do adults ask us to be open-minded when they don’t rethink what they believe? – Milly Asherov, Classical High School Class of 2022 and long-term leader with the Providence Student Union
Policymakers and other adult-led initiatives that are serious about collaborating with youth movements and community-based coalitions must reckon with how full-time staff and organizations need to commit the resources to ensure ‘Youth Voices’ is not just a feel-good slogan.
How do you actually hear youth? A growing number of organizations pay lip service to ‘youth voices’ but never get past mottos and one-off events. We are learning how organizations actually listen and respond to perspectives, grievances, and solutions of the rising generation. This article explores how adults are making certain that ‘youth voices’ are front and center in the raging debates about policing on the streets and in the schools.
Policing Youth
The two initiatives featured here illustrate the monetary and pro bono support that resulted in real outcomes.
RESOURCES
RESULTS
» City provided over $500,000 to garner experiences and proposed remedies from youth of all backgrounds.
» Proposals by youth became the top recommendation by the city-appointed task force on police reforms.
» Adult volunteers and graduate students contributed over 100 hours to complete a comprehensive student police-free schools.
» School Board recommended to the Education Commissioner and Governor to enact the student coalition school safety plan.
Central Youth Role: Police + School Security Policies
The city of Oakland, California established the Reimagining Public Safety Task Force responsible for reallocating 50% of the $150 million Police Department budget. The 17-members included youth members, Ivan Garcia and Losaline Moa. Together with two key adult allies, they advocated successfully for extra Task Force funding of $532,200 for a “citywide youth leadership strategy that authentically partners youth to participate and engage with decision makers at the highest level.”
IMPACT: Surveys, listening sessions, the “Black Youth Thought Wall,” and other outreach required money and staff support (Reimagining Public Safety Final Report and Recommendations see pages 61-63). This structured ‘youth voice’ process had a decisive influence that is evident in the Task Force Tier One Recommendations (see page 12) that include reallocating money for alternatives to criminalization, mental health services, etc. The City Council voted unanimouslybut has yet to fully fund all these proposals.
In Rhode Island, several youth-led nonprofits have been relentless in their Counselors Not Cops campaigns. To get more traction, five of these organizations formed a coalition, boosted by crucial support from a cadre of researchers at Brown University and other allies including the Center for Justice.
Recently released is the Providence Alliance for Student Safety Plan. Their comprehensive proposal, enhanced by testimonials by students and educators, calls for the elimination of all school resource officers and maps out a $8million to $9million line-by-line budget for social workers, psychologists and other positions at each Providence high school.
IMPACT: In response to this long-term advocacy, the Providence Board of Education recommended to the Governor and Education Commissioner to eliminate all school resource officers from the largest school system in Rhode Island. More student walkouts are expected to pressure the Governor who publicly opposes police-free schools.
Real Reform — No More Token Gestures
Both reports deserve a deep read but one fundamental shift is the Providence Alliance for School Safety explicitly rejects the typical role of students having the proverbial ‘Seat at the Table.’ Instead students, especially those impacted by the school-to-prison pipeline and under-represented, need to be deciding ‘What’s on the Menu.’
We Deserve and Demand Student Voices at the Lead — We propose that the District vest control over student safety and accountability in a committee of Youth Advocates and community allies, selected by youth. This youth-led committee will have control over school safety–abolishing punitive disciplinary policies, defining the actions schools will take to address disciplinary issues without the intervention of police, and guiding the design and implementation of transformative justice policies.
Providence Alliance School Safety Plan
Milly Asherov, a rising senior who works at the Providence Student Union as the Leadership Co-Director, is still exhausted from the coalition’s weekly Zoom meetings. She recognizes one major success factor of this four-month marathon project is symbiosis.
Students provided concrete insider knowledge that contrast the impact of campuses with school resource officers and those operating with school safety teams as well as trauma-trained mental health professionals.
Graduate students devoted their research skills to scouring programs in other school districts, collecting stats, generating a budget with baseline salaries for counselors, restorative justice specialists, etc.
Adult allies dedicated over 100 pro bono hours compiling the information and intense writing with weekly Zoom meetings and ongoing consulting with students every step of the way.
“Youth were present in all interviews with partnerships that could contribute solutions to school safety and all decided by youth. The adults were always checking with us to make sure every section of the report reflected our voices and understood our role in this plan was not just to edit grammar in the report.”
Milly Asherov, Classical High School Class of 2022
Adults Are Allies + Accomplices
Adults in California who advocated for significant resources ensured the two youth members were not token representatives on the 17-member Reimagining Public Safety Task Force. Half a million dollars resulted in very substantive input from young people across the city that paid for facilitators, stipends for participants, and staff who worked the youth members in similar fashion to those city employees who assisted the 15 other Task Force members.
In Rhode Island, the hours of research and writing required to generate the Providence Alliance for School Safety plan depended on the intense involvement of dedicated adults. The hardcore reality is even students with superb time management skills rarely have enough free hours or flexible schedules to take such a behemoth project with significant support.
Policymakers and other adult-led initiatives that are serious about collaborating with youth movements and community-based coalitions must reckon with how full-time staff and organizations need to commit the resources to ensure ‘Youth Voices’ is not just a feel-good slogan.
Contact us to explore how your organization or agency make youth exclusion a relic of the past!
Youth Infusion 