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An image with a half blue, half red boarder with a black and white photo of a student on the left and a teacher on the right

Changing Course for Students’ Future

Our new podcast series explores how educators are partnering with students to make change.

When we set out to create a podcast for Teach for America’s One Day Studio, we knew certain things had to be true of whatever we produced:

It must tell authentic stories centered on the students, teachers, and communities most impacted by the systemic inequities in our education system. It must feature the voices of those most proximate to these issues, especially students themselves. And it must feature multiple voices in each episode, because we know that no individual can succeed in doing the work of pursuing equity alone.

From those foundational values, we went to work, connecting with experts in podcasting, educational leaders, and our colleagues within Teach For America. Months later, we are proud to introduce Changing Course: Students Take Their Seat at the Table, a six-episode series about what’s possible when schools treat students as partners and changemakers. Each episode will focus on a different school that has in some way empowered student leaders and/or given students agency in deciding their own educational paths. 

In Changing Course, host Jonathan Santos Silva (South Dakota ’10), introduces us to:

  • A middle school and high school in North Carolina that was redesigned from the ground up to empower students and be responsive to the needs of their families and the entire community
  • A high school in Rhode Island where students pursue their personal passions in the classroom and in twice-weekly internships
  • An elementary school in Oklahoma where participants in an afterschool program learn to advocate for solutions to school or community problems
  • A middle school in Hawai’i that devotes significant time and resources to identity exploration and leadership development
  • A high school in Colorado where student leaders and activists sparked a significant change to the very structure and makeup of the school
  • A middle school in South Dakota that dramatically reduced suspensions by focusing on children’s mental health and instilling pride in their identity

Changing Course episodes will be released biweekly, starting March 8. Listen, follow, rate, and share at most major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, or on TFA’s website.