The new FPG Voices series highlights perspectives from across the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute and shares practical ideas for improving outcomes for children, families, educators, and communities. In this FPG Voices feature, you'll learn three practical strategies for centering student perspectives throughout the implementation process.

---

When schools and districts implement evidence-based practices and programs, students should be more than recipients of change. Their perspectives, experiences, and participation can help shape decisions from the beginning, strengthen implementation along the way, and improve the likelihood that new approaches will last.

A blog post from FPG’s National Implementation Research Network (NIRN) explains why student voice is essential to implementation efforts and offers three practical strategies for putting it into action. Engaging students can support their sense of connection, self-efficacy, and empowerment while helping implementation teams clarify goals, solve problems collaboratively, and ensure initiatives reflect students’ needs. Without meaningful student participation, schools risk low engagement, resistance to change, and outcomes that miss the experiences of the learners they intend to serve.

The first strategy is to design data-collection methods with student voice in mind. Students can help develop survey questions and identify accessible, authentic ways to share their perspectives, including focus groups, journaling, digital storytelling, listening sessions, and interviews. In NIRN’s Effective Implementation Cohort (EIC), student surveys were included in the measurement plan to capture how math curriculum implementation influenced students’ self-efficacy, enjoyment, engagement, and perceptions of math’s value. The results helped districts identify barriers related to relevance and participation.

The second strategy is to gather feedback continuously and use it to improve implementation in real time. Surveys, focus groups, interviews, and informal check-ins can reveal emerging concerns and guide adjustments to instruction, school climate initiatives, or student supports. The post describes a middle school Student Advisory Workgroup that gathered peers’ concerns about test preparation, mental health, and engagement. Students also proposed project-based learning, alternative assessments, and stress-reduction workshops. School leaders piloted several ideas, leading to broader changes and a more balanced learning environment. EIC districts similarly used focus groups with students and caregivers to better understand needs and inform decisions.

The third strategy is to engage students as partners in sharing what has been learned. Students can contribute to conference panels, publications, videos, exhibits, showcases, and reports. At EIC convenings in San Diego and Austin, students exchanged ideas directly with adults involved at every level of the project. Their participation created meaningful two-way communication and demonstrated what shared ownership can look like in practice.

Implementation teams do not have to transform their processes all at once. Starting with one or two opportunities to include student perspectives can build momentum toward deeper engagement. By designing with students, responding to their feedback, and inviting them to communicate their experiences, schools can make implementation more relevant, inclusive, and sustainable.

Read the original NIRN blog post for additional context, examples, and resources for incorporating student voice throughout the implementation journey.