Student Voice

Student Voice: From Invisible to Invaluable is about why and how today’s leaders need to connect with students for success. The premise of this book is that student voice is often invisible and that is possibly why schools have changed little since the 19th Century. From digital citizenship to teacher evaluation, we submit that the voice of students can be and needs to be amplified. The authors wrote this book to help elevate the power and influence of student voice in the transformation and leadership of our schools. The authors provide context that helps frame where education has been, where it stands today, and where the authors propose we go in school leadership. To truly transform, schools leaders in the classroom, principal’s office, and district office need to elevate the voice of the student. There is no greater way to inspire our children than to let them have a say in their own education. We simply cannot create the leaders of tomorrow when we do not let them lead today. This book will provide examples of excellence, stories of success, and practical tips to help you move student voice from invisible to invaluable.

From the Board room, to the community, and into the classroom Student Voice:  From Invisible to Invaluable, gives practical examples of how to leverage student voice in our schools and districts.  It is alive with insights and ideas that school leaders can easily implement to engage students in the operations of their schools and districts.  If you are interested in student voice, this is a must read., High-performing schools have a secret weapon…student voice. Student Voice: From Invisible to Invaluable shines the light on the most important issue that confronts school today – empowering students to be leaders in their learning and engaging students in the decision-making process. If you are a school leader or teacher leader and want to learn how to take your school to the next level, this is your book to learn the why and how behind student voice. We must realize that we far too often prescribe remedies to student learning before understanding the needs of each student individually. If we take the time to listen and empower student voice, we transform the educational process – from adult- centered to student-centered. Lubelfeld, Polyak, and Caposey provide simple, practical and invaluable strategies to amplify student voice that all school leaders and teacher leaders can use immediately – powerful!, The authors of Student Voice: From Invisible to Invaluable put their wealth of knowledge to the test and create an undeniable case regarding the importance of student voice.  More importantly, through their eyes of experience, and reinforced by students themselves they challenge all of us to take advantage of our greatest resource in schools, the students.  Our students continue to change and thus we must be ready and willing to listen, learn and lead with them as “invaluable” partners in education.

Michael Lubelfeld, Ed.D. currently serves as the superintendent of schools in the Deerfield, IL Public Schools (District 109). He is also on the adjunct faculty at National Louis University in the Department of Educational Leadership. Mike has earned an IASA School of Advanced Leadership Fellowship and he has also graduated from the AASA National Superintendent Certification Program. He can be found on Twitter at @mikelubelfeld and he is the co-moderator of #suptchat - the superintendent educational chat on Twitter.Nick Polyak, Ed.D.is the proud superintendent of the award-winning Leyden Community High School District 212. .  Nick has earned an IASA School of Advanced Leadership Fellowship and he also graduated from the AASA National Superintendent Certification Program. He can be found on Twitter at @npolyak and he is the co-moderator of #suptchat - the superintendent educational chat on Twitter.Phillip J. “PJ” Caposey, Ed.D. is an award-winning educator leading his small rural school to multiple national recognitions as a principal and has done the same as a Superintendent. PJ is an active member of the greater educational community voicing opinions and providing training and consult on many topics. PJ is the author of three books and is a sought after speaker and consultant specializing in school culture, principal coaching, effective evaluation practices, and student-centered instruction.