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Student Voice and the

Superintendent Student Advisory Council

Students-

Thomas Besek, Jenna Dakhlallah, Nada Salany, Micah Mitchell

Student Empowerment Facilitator-

Violet Souweidane, Ph.D

Superintendent-

Glenn Maleyko, Ph.D

Board of Education Trustee-

Jim Thorpe

Empowering Students to Lead

January 25, 2024

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Our District By The Numbers

$600+ Million Budget (Includes Foundation and Grant Funds)

41 Schools & Programs (3 Non-Instructional Buildings)

3 Traditional High Schools and 3 Early College Programs

Career Center & Alternative High School

Virtual K-12 School

2,406 Staff Members (with subs over 2,700)

(one of the largest employers in Wayne County outside of Detroit)

1,432 in Dearborn Federation of Teachers Union

20,000 Students

4,000 Students Added In 17 Years

76% Of Students Free And Reduced Lunch

47% Of Students Are English Language Learners

8% Special Education Students

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OUR VISION

OUR MISSION

Dearborn Public Schools will provide

an exceptional learning environment

that empowers every student to succeed

in life today and in the future.

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Our Vision Is Embedded In Our Culture

EVERYDAY!

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Our Vision Is Embedded In Our Community

Chief Shahin

Governor Whitmer

Congresswoman Debbie Dingell

The Jonas Brothers

Mayor Abdullah Hammoud

Sam Baydoun

Senator Sylvia Santana

President Russ Kavalhuna

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Accomplishments

Becker Elementary

Blue Ribbon School 2017

STEM Middle School

Blue Ribbon Schools 2018

Lindbergh Elementary

Blue Ribbon School 2019

Haigh Elementary

Blue Ribbon School 2021

Henry Ford Early College

Blue Ribbon School 2021

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Points of Pride

All high schools rated among the top in the state. Fordson #1 (2019). Fordson Top 20 (2017) Mackinac Center

Maples Elementary Distinguished Title One School 2019

Edsel Ford Recognized as a Model High School (2017)

National Recognition Program

1 of 45 Districts Recognized in the country
School districts that are leading the way with new ideas that work (Innovation)
Recognizes established initiatives that can be replicated by other districts

NWEA Data shows growth above

national averages across the board

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Points of Pride

94% Graduation Rate- Maintaining High Graduation Rates

2018 Release

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Important to note that our early college students all attend college from 10th grade on.

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Association of School Business Officials (ASBO) International

Meritorious Budget Award 5 years in a row

Click Here for Twitter Feed

School districts that apply for the Meritorious Budget Award (MBA) or the Pathway to the MBA understand the importance of presenting an accessible and accurate budget to build trust and clear communication with stakeholders.

Click Here for the ASBO site Transparency Page

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Accomplishments are

a reflection of

the total work taking place in all schools !

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Strategic Plan Alignment

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How it started

In 2015 Dr. Maleyko presented this idea to the Board Of Education during his interview and added it to his 90 Day Plan.

President

Mary Petlichkoff

Hussein Berry

Roxanne McDonald

Jim Thorpe

Adel Mozip

Irene Watts

Pat D’Ambrosio

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Session Objectives

Participants will learn about the creation of the Superintendent/Board’s Student Advisory Council (SSAC)

Participants will gain ideas on how to organize and maintain a meaningful, active student Council.

Participants will gain a greater understanding of how student voice may play a significant role in influencing high level school/district based decisions.

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STUDENT

VOICE

STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

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Definitions

Student Voice is any expression (i.e. beliefs, perspectives, opinions) of students related to learning, schools, or education
Student Engagement is the sustained connection a learner feels towards learning, school, or education

🎤Thomas define student voice, Nada define student engagement

Thomas: Student Voice Definition

Nada: Student Engagement Definition, “while student voice is the expression of a students thoughts and feelings, their engagement is the connection and inclination that they feel to their learning as a result of being able to share their thoughts.”

Tiya: “Would anyone in the audience want to share with us what that looks like in your district?”

Jenna

Paraphrase definition and show book by Adam Fletcher

I consider him to be the guru of Student Voice and Involvement

Also mention the website soundout.org

paraphrase definition
There are a variety of resources across the learning world that are useful in finding the true definition of student voice. Some of which include:
Educator and motivational speaker Adam Fletcher who wrote the book Student Voice Revolution, a handbook to involving students in their learning experience.
There is also educational organization SoundOut which focuses on student involvement through technology. You can find more of their resources on soundout.org

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Listening to Student Voice is Not Enough

“At the simplest level, student voice can consist of young people sharing their opinions of school problems with administrators and facility. Student voice initiatives can also be more extensive, for instance, when young people collaborate with adults to address the problems in their schools—and in rare cases when youth assume leadership roles to change efforts.”

–Dana Mitra,

Pennsylvania State University scholar on education policy and student voice

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Student Voice Video Production

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Types of Student Voice: Classroom, School and District

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How to Heighten Student Voice in Your District

According to Gretchen Brion-Meisels,

Harvard Graduate School of Education professor (https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/16/08/giving-students-voice)

1. Regularly seek out and encourage student feedback. Survey either all students or a representative sample of your students on school culture, climate and academic engagement.

2. Recruit student researchers and provide them with training on collecting and analyzing data.

🎤Micah BOTH

Bounce off of each

You need to facilitate a comfortable space for students to speak out

We strive for

Example of Student Research – Vaping Committee (Jenna)

This is a team of high school students across the district that started this past summer to target the epidemic of vaping in youth in our community. The students have roles in all parts of this project, from leading speeches in Michigan congress about how vapes are sold to minors to starting and spreading awareness on Social Media in powerful posts about the effects of vaping.

Every school has a leadership committee

Students are invited to join the meetings when appropriate

Why don’t we call Parent Teacher Conference Parent Student Teacher Conference?
Do we have a culture where students have the space to speak out

Checks and balances

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How to Heighten Student Voice in Your District

3. Provide a seat at the school leadership table to student representatives.

4. Provide avenues for students to participate in discussions relating to their learning. Parent teacher conferences are more effective if the student is present as is true for most any discussions that centers around them.

5. Students, like school staff, parents and community members are considered vital school partners and stakeholders.

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Three Major Components of our SSAC Team

RELATIONSHIPS

COMMUNICATION

LEADERSHIP

SSAC

Capitol Day Lansing

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Relationship: Truly listen with interest, empathy and respect. Make clear your commitment to valuing their voice. Start meetings with a mindfulness moment and team building activity.

Communication: Explain with facts the issues at hand, set clear expectations of the role they can play, and engage students in meaningful conversations. Maintain regular dialogue outside meeting times (whatsapp chat group, emails, zoom sessions, on-site school meetings).

Leadership: Provide students with ongoing leadership roles. Students attend school board meetings to report on issues important to them and report on their initiatives. Students trained in restorative practices and intergroup dialogue.

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Structural Framework: Recruiting & Attendance

Recruitment goal-Four students, representative of school population recruited from each high school.

Recruitment steps - On-line application shared widely and advertised heavily. Principals, support staff and ELL teachers asked to recommend students. Students offered assistance in completing application. Diverse team reviews applications.

Attendance-Monthly meetings at rotating high schools; lunch and bus transportation provided.

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School Board and Community Engagement

Two-way communication between school board and students.

Board might share concerns (i.e. bullying) and students develop strategies to address concern.

Students may share concern with board (i.e.infrastructure concerns, school start/end times, social justice issue).

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School Board and Community Engagement

Student decide on how they will support their community. The following are examples of student initiated community engagement projects:

Gun violence awareness vigil.

MLK Fundraising.

MLK service day.

Cross-age mentoring and tutoring.

Care to the Core district wide planning and engagement.

Click Here: CBS News Report.

Rotary club participation

🎤Thomas, Jenna, Micah

Thomas
Thomas
Thomas

Jenna -
Student initiated leadership can also take form in events that they organize to give back to their community.
For example, at our high schools, students organized cross age mentoring and tutoring of students in our district’s middle schools (Stout Middle School with Key Club) to help give back and teach math and reading every wednesday.
At our middle schools, such as Stout Middle School, student leadership emerged from our high schools where older students took up the responsibilities of tutoring younger students who were struggling with math and reading at the 6-8th grade levels.
This allowed students in the high schools to help out fellow students while gaining volunteering and leadership experience for the high school's Key Club.

Jenna or Micah
Additionally, we have a yearly district-wide event that combines student leadership and community service with a focus on mental health called Care to the Core Day.
This is a really exciting and hyped-up event that showcases student projects (such as writing friendly letters to neighbors, making “Anti-Vaping” signs) from all elementary, middle, and high schools.
For example, this year’s Care to the Core Day featured a tailgate-like livestream on the District’s YouTube channel featuring a panel of students and Dr. Maleyko to kick of a full day of District-wide events.
This is a huge event that has had a news story done on it.

Thomas
Finally, we teamed up with the Rotary Club in February of 2023 with their Student-led month of meetings which allowed students from across the district to interact with adult leaders in the Rotary in the Dearborn Community, gave us experience in presenting our student leadership roles within our respective high schools.

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Connect With The Superintendent and School District

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/DrMaleyko

Superintendent Blog:

http://superintendent.dearbornschools.org/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/wingshockey3

Instagram Page:

https://www.instagram.com/superintendent.maleyko/

My Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI-XxCJ4wLzKm2dOQysFK1w

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How it started

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Instagram and One Minute Message Updates

Thomas And Bissan from the SSAC 2023.

The First meeting of the Year.

Mira, Miryam and Tiya Fall 2022.

2022 Spring Thomas

State Superintendent Advisory Committee– (MDE-SAC)

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Relationships

Michael Berry Center

Bon Appetit

Edsel Ford

Rotary Club

Fred Korematsu Day

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Networking Opportunities

Images & Perceptions Diversity Conference - October (Thomas)

Strategic Planning Process (Nada)

Community Forums (i.e. District Needs & Budget Priorities)

Dearborn Rotary Club Youth Month -

3 Thursday meetings in February (Thomas and Jenna)

Legislative Network -

1 meeting per quarter on a Friday evening (Thomas)

Administrative Retreat & Board presentations in June

(Thomas, Jenna and Nada)

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Relationships

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Student Impact

Instagram and Social Media Presence
Voter Registration and Millage Initiatives
Community Fundraisers and Engagement
Students Against Vaping (SAV)
REAL Dearborn Service Day and Goodfellows
Principals initiating student advisory group in their buildings
Our New Food Service Model - Southwest Foodservice Excellence (SFE)
Student Voice on a Broader Level.
Challenges

10:33-11:20

Dr. Maleyko - history

Thomas, Jenna - Instagram presence for our different student groups (SSAC, Vaping Committee)
Micah - Voter regis.
Jenna - Students against vaping (SAV) is a group of high school students that organized into an anti vaping committee after parents in the community expressed interest in having a team of students tackle the ongoing epidemic of vaping that has spread to many of our classmates as in many districts within our state.

- This past summer, parents came to the district and asked for a new team dedicated to tackling the ongoing epidemic of vaping that has spread throughout youth in our district, like many cities in our state.
Student leaders got together in work groups such as our social media team and legislative work group
Since our founding in the summer, our impact has been immense
That’s the power of student voice.

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Other Student Leadership Initiatives

DPS Anti-Vaping Committee

MDE Student Advisory Council

Student Surveys

Principal Student Advisory Council

Jenna - Anti-Vaping Comm. and MDESAC

Vaping committee, as I presented before, we were given the great opportunity to showcase leadership on the district level with the vaping committee
I’m also involved with Thomas on the Michigan Department of Education’s Student Advisory council which is a group of high school students from districts all over the state that started meeting in 2020 with Dr. Rice each month in response to a rise of hate speech in schools.
We created the Safe Space Resource, which was just published to the public two months ago, over four years of hard work which serves as a handbook for administrators and educators all over the state to combat any hate speech within their schools by providing safe spaces for students that have been subjected to that hate.
Through these initiatives, I and many students in my district have been able to go places and make connections that we never would have been able to make if it weren’t for these opportunities to have our voices heard and used actively.

Micah or Nada - Surveys

We use surveys frequently throughout each of our initiatives such as the SSAC or SAV to target the needs of our classmates in fighting against vaping, etc.
This allows us to gauge the student population better

and Thomas (PSAC at DHS)

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Planning - Timeline

April - Submit dates to the superintendent’s administrative secretary for the entire year, schedule community partnerships & district leadership

August - Send emails to principals with dates, create & publish on-line application for 2 weeks on school website. Reach out to underserved communities and encourage and support applying.

September - review applications/select/share with principals and facilitators, develop transportation schedule.

October through June - Meetings begin and end

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Share Out

Given what you have heard so far, how might this work for you in your district?

Dearborn Rotary Club

Youth Month 2019

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Growing Student Leaders Across The District

- SSAC making a difference

The Superintendent’s and Executive Directors’ Student Advisory Council (SEDSAC)

Stout, Lowrey, Unis, Woodworth, Smith, STEM,

Salina Intermediate, and Bryant

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SEDSAC Framework

Schools

Theme

Expectations

Feeder Track

Monthly Meetings
Culminating meeting in May
Executive Director

3

1

Edsel Ford

Monthly Meetings
Culminating meeting in May
Executive Director

2

Dearborn High

Monthly Meetings
Culminating meeting in May
Executive Director

3

Fordson High

Meeting Schedule - September/October

Spring Culminating Meeting with SSAC - May

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New Phase of Student Engagement

Students on Boards

2018-19 students at Board meetings started

No voting

Attend training sessions

Attend monthly Board of Education meetings

Explore additional ways to engage

2020- pandemic hit. Student virtual meetings

Graduation ceremony

Other concerns were discussed

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Resource Links

SSAC sample application: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1gBsBU2Low8mELWyl0ybmcZLe0GQhaQqowKE-WU6N6H8/edit

SSAC 2023 Expectations: https://docs.google.com/document/d/13tbrz0pDEC4H_RKi-fF70Ginn7VclJgOtqTFJLk6Qow/edit

SSAC agenda sample: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xbgBbE39w8D9UBdzeiKYSLGJo9mQDivuWixHmhLjx_s/edit

Transportation schedule example: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Qn0DJDAFPBQZa388Ie1-ez_L-GOGm2JU/view?usp=share_link

SSAC Acceptance Letter

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Questions?

Contact Info:

Dr. Violet Souweidane

souweiv@dearbornschools.org