From Symbolic to Substantive: How DC Elevated Students as Partners in Policymaking

Those most affected by a policy should have the greatest say in shaping it, the adage goes. Yet students—those whom education policies affect most—are far too frequently excluded from decision making. Even when students’ voices are included, they are often only symbolically considered.

Here in Washington, DC, student involvement in policymaking is more than symbolic. The DC State Board of Education has changed its institutional practices to involve students more heavily in policymaking and affirm their value as contributors. The members and staff of the board want DC students to know they can shape their world.

Structurally, the board integrated student voice into decision making through its bylaws. They mandate that the Student Advisory Committee be a standing committee, one of only two committees given such a designation. Furthermore, they stipulate that the board can consider no proposal unless it has first been submitted to this committee for review and comment.

Creating a tangible space where student voice is genuinely valued has significantly enhanced board policy discussions and decision making. It has challenged the elected members to be more curious and to justify their proposals more effectively. And it has required that proposals, which receive recommendations, be not only well-meaning but also deeply rooted in students’ realities.

Demonstrating appreciation for student contributions is also crucial to bolstering student involvement. One significant way the DC board does so is by helping students overcome barriers to participation in board meetings.

Transportation is one such challenge. Despite the robust DC public transit system, transportation can still significantly limit student engagement. Many students residing in less-resourced communities, where transportation options are less accessible, have hours-long commutes to attend meetings. Not only is it impractical, it is tantamount to exclusion.

Earlier this year, after months of coordination with other DC offices to address liability concerns and ensure funds would be used responsibly, the board began sponsoring Uber rides for student representatives. Although the process to launch the initiative was laborious, it was worth it. It gave more students greater access to meetings, but it also sent a clear message that the board values and wants to elevate students’ voices.

Being a student representative is a tremendous form of civic service. They have dedicated their time, passion, and talents to advancing the interests of their peers. Their contributions should be rewarded, and they should know adults value their input.

To that end, each student representative receives a $1,000 stipend at the end of their term. The stipends, which bear no spending conditions, are issued to coincide with the students’ transition to college, and they are provided directly to the students, not to their parents or schools. Nonleadership student advisors are also rewarded. We award them public service hours that can be applied to graduation requirements and college applications. Altogether, these forms of appreciation provide students with genuine support as they progress in life, reinforcing a relationship of trust and respect.

Although structural steps and gestures of appreciation have been crucial in the efforts to embed students in DC education policymaking, they are not enough. For student involvement to reach its full potential, student representatives need support from adults who understand both the goals of the students and the complicated system of public education.

Students are compelling advocates. They are equipped with personal experience, strong opinions, and aspirational ideas. In most cases, these young policymakers know what outcomes they want but struggle to bring their vision to reality. In DC, an assigned staff member supports the student advisors’ activities. The staff liaison has become indispensable in channeling their extraordinary youthful energy and ideas into real-world policy recommendations.

The liaison has established systems and procedures to help students clarify their projects and priorities. They have become a guide through the bureaucracy that must be navigated to advance students’ goals. Most important, they have learned to let students take the lead, supporting the students’ vision without imposing their own. Creating this position has fostered a productive environment for student activism within the state board.

The DC board takes pride in its institutional practices to involve students more meaningfully in policymaking. It took many years of deliberate, sincere work, but they paid off.

Student representatives have played a significant role in some of the boldest policy proposals put forth by the board in recent years. Their perspectives were crucial to the groundbreaking standards passed in 2023 to improve menstrual health education, something students felt was greatly needed but poorly accessible at the time.[1] They have also used their platform on the board to highlight critical issues affecting students, such as the need for improved indoor air quality management in school facilities[2] and the importance of providing graphing calculators to economically disadvantaged students.[3] Without their voice, would adult policymakers ever have recognized these as important issues?

Other states can and should invest in practices to elevate student voice from symbolic to meaningful. State boards’ actions affect students, first and foremost. It is paramount that student voices are not only included but truly heard.

Notes

[1] Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), DC Menstrual Health Education Standards, web page, District of Columbia Office of the State Superintendent of Education.

[2] DC State Board of Education, SR25-1: Addressing Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Issues in Public Schools in the District of Columbia, state board resolution, February 19, 2025.

[3] DC State Board of Education, SR25‑5: Promoting DC STEM: Supporting Technology Equality in Math, state board resolution, March 19, 2025.