Last week, TFA’s CEO Elisa Villanueva Beard published an op-ed in the74 imploring readers to “listen to students” as we consider how to address the engagement crisis. At Teach For America we are taking this to heart. Senior Research Scientist Dr. Katie Buckley shares more about the hyper-local approach that’s moving the needle in the rural and urban communities where TFA partners and has the potential to be a game-changer for the entire education field.

Post-pandemic, the alarming headline of K-12 education is that for too many families, school has become irrelevant and even optional. Absenteeism climbs and learning gaps persist. A key factor in this crisis is that when schools reopened, pre-2020 approaches were dusted off and retrofitted to our new landscape.

But reality has been forever altered: both for students, who don’t see school as particularly relevant to their current lives or future goals, and for teachers, who are experiencing increased burnout, a more acute pay penalty, and limited resources and support. 

So what will it take to bring students back, prepare schools to meet students’ new realities, and support teachers in their own personal well-being and professional development? 

It’s not surprising that it starts with listening to students. Followed by meticulous weaving of classroom-level student insights into the training and development of their teacher. 

It’s a hyper-local approach that’s moving the needle in the rural and urban communities where Teach For America (TFA) partners. And it holds promise for any school or district seeking to make classrooms more effective and equitable for students and teachers alike. 

We’ve piloted The Cultivate System (created by the Learning & Development Group at the UChicago Consortium on School Research), rooted in a bi-annual student survey that in its first year collected insights from over 20,000 students in underserved communities across the country. The Cultivate System is helping TFA educators gather feedback directly from their students about what they are experiencing in terms of relevance of classwork, classroom community, belonging, agency, and motivation—all of which are deeply connected to student outcomes and development.

Through professional development opportunities and coaching, these educators have learned how to use the student survey results to inform their classroom practices: what they should continue to do and what must change in order to increase positive outcomes for student learning and development.

The student survey results are illuminating. First, the positive: Nearly 90% of students reported throughout the school year that they felt somewhat, very, or extremely motivated to work hard in their TFA classroom (higher than other findings from Gallup and Walton Family Foundation and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative). And over 60% of the students experienced strong connectedness of learning goals and strong recognition of their identities: results that remained consistent from fall to spring and across student populations. 

However, less than half of the students reported favorable perceptions of the teacher’s ability to foster a strong classroom community, student agency, and student belonging. While this aligns with findings from other surveys whereby students in public schools in historically marginalized communities typically report lower levels of belonging in classrooms, it is nonetheless troubling. 

The research is clear: low levels of belonging predict lower attendance, achievement, and mental health. The risk of disconnection from education and other systems is real.

This is precisely why a focus on student voice is vital. When educators actively seek out and incorporate students' opinions on their educational experience and have the tools and resources to use that feedback to improve the learning environment, it can lead to stronger student learning beliefs, including belonging, growth mindset, and agency. When students feel heard and valued, their engagement and investment in learning increases, leading to improved academic outcomes and overall wellbeing. These practices are particularly important for schools serving low-income and BIPOC students, whereby elevating student voice can lead to more culturally responsive teaching practices and curricula that reflect their backgrounds and experiences. These practices can help bridge the engagement gap and foster a sense of belonging and empowerment among students who might otherwise feel marginalized.

Early anecdotal data from students and teachers about the use of the survey to support students' learning conditions is promising. Through an initial pilot and a small scale study, we heard directly from teachers and their students about the impact Cultivate was having. One teacher shared: “By actively seeking feedback from my students, I gained a deeper understanding of their needs, concerns, and perspectives, which allowed me to make informed adjustments to my teaching practices and classroom environment.” And one of our students shared about the survey “I think it'll help [teachers] understand if there is something students don't feel so positive about; it may help them see that and maybe help them change it.” It’s clear that students in our public schools are excited to give teachers meaningful feedback, and novice teachers entering the profession are excited to use that feedback to improve their practice. 

The Cultivate System is giving us insight into students’ lived experiences in the classroom, at a time when student morale and sense of purpose at school is at an all-time low. The TFA-Consortium partnership is centered in the belief that we must take a closer look at the classroom conditions our students experience, conditions which strongly predict their motivation and engagement, and ultimately their wellbeing and academic growth. And in order to do that, we must put our young people in the center of the conversation.  

As a field, we must stay committed to amplifying the voice of our youth, particularly in marginalized communities. While Cultivate can provide a formal mechanism to do so, student feedback can come from many sources; at its core, it is about a commitment to school- and classroom-wide practices that prioritize student agency and leadership. It is only when students are given a full say in the educational decisions that shape their lives that we can begin to disrupt the current inequitable and unsustainable state of our education system. 

About the Author

Dr. Katie Buckley is a Senior Research Scientist at Teach for America. In this role, she leads research, measurement, and evaluation related to the social, emotional, and academic development of students. Dr. Buckley works closely with the program team to ensure research-based best practices are integrated into educator development.