2. About Project Tomorrow
(www.tomorrow.org)
Nonprofit education organization supporting K-12 education since 1996
Mission: to support the development of new leadership capacities
within the K-12 ecosystem through the translation of research into
practice
Core belief: the voices and views of K-12 stakeholders can be a valuable
asset for stimulating change in education if used effectively
Programs and research: focus on understanding the impact of new
learning models, including digital learning, on student outcomes and
educator effectiveness
3. About the Speak Up Research Project
A leadership support tool for education leaders in schools,
districts, states and supporting organizations.
A free turnkey service for schools and districts to collect
feedback from students, parents, teachers and
administrators. Includes local reports with state and
national comparative data.
A process to effectively use the authentic views and ideas of
K-12 stakeholders as an asset to inform decisions,
programs, policies, funding and new initiatives.
A reliable and valid source for understanding key national
and state trends in education since 2003.
Facilitated annually by Project Tomorrow, Speak Up is:
Most comprehensive data set on digital learning includes
feedback from over 6.2 million K-12 stakeholders.
4. 1. Why listen to the ideas of
our students?
2. How can we use those
ideas to improve learning
experiences for all
students?
For today’s discussion, what is our starting point?
5. Are we all seeing the same things?
Do your students see learning and
school in the same way we do?
6. Are we all seeing the same things?
Do your students see learning and
school in the same way we do?
For today:
Suspend our assumptions
Be open to new perspectives
Respect the views of the students
7. Today’s student panel discussion – via video clips
Speak Up Congressional Briefing
October 2021
Virtual
NSBA Advocacy Summit
January 2022
In person – Washington DC
Discussion themes:
Defining student engagement in
school and learning
Students’ preferences for learning
Designing a better school or
classroom learning experience
8. Let’s hear from our student panelists!
Trinity, Grade 7, Virginia
Oscar, Grade 9, Maryland
Mirakle, Grade 11, New York
Joseph, Grade 11, Texas
Remington, Grade 12, Virginia
Remy, Grade 12, California
Ava, Grade 12, Wisconsin
Speak Up Congressional Briefing
October 2021
Virtual
NSBA Advocacy Summit
January 2022
In person – Washington DC
10. Understanding the Student Vision for Learning
Per the Speak Up Research
analysis, students identify four
essential elements for an
effective learning environment:
Socially-based
Un-tethered
Contextually rich
Independently driven
Speak Up Research Findings 2003-2022
16. Where do we go from here?
1. What did you learn from these
students?
2. How do we effectively translate
stakeholders’ views and
aspirations into powerful new
ideas for education
improvement?
17. To access the complete set of student
panels, visit www.tomorrow.org
https://tomorrow.org/speakup/speakup_congress.html
19. To learn more . . . .
To get a copy of today’s
presentation deck
To learn more about
Project Tomorrow and the
Speak Up Research Project
To connect with us about
potential collaborations
20. Julie A. Evans, Ed.D.
Chief Executive Officer
Project Tomorrow
jevans@tomorrow.org
@JulieEvans_PT
949-609-4661
Envisioning the future by listening
to the ideas of our students