Student Engagement in Schools

What can alternative education programs teach us about welcoming and engaging students with diverse experiences and needs? This week Lauren and Angela discuss programs serving students whose ways of learning might not fit the traditional school structure. Their guests are Gretchen Mollers, Janine Weir, and Eric Passes from the Merlo Station campus in the Beaverton School District. All three educators advocate listening to students as they express their needs and silencing the din of what education “should” be.

The Passages Re-Engagement Program for high school students and the UpGrade Program for middle school are based on centering the student voice and recognizing that it’s impossible for a single model of education to work for everyone. Both programs work toward helping students gain confidence in themselves, navigate non-academic barriers, and rebuild their trust in education. The question is how can educators help students where they are, rather than how can the students be fitted into the system. The result may look messy on the surface, but the programs are removing barriers to accommodate different ways of learning and to give students the time and respect to develop their individual plans for the future. 

 

Resources - 

Passages Reengagement Program

UpGrade Program

William R. Miller and Stephen Rollnick, Motivational Interviewing: Preparing People for Change