NUA with Newark Public Schools High School Amplifying Student Voice

Purpose
Amplifying Student Voice focuses students on exploring, understanding and collaboratively sharing the purpose and methods of equity consciousness with peers as learners across all content areas. Amplifying Student Voice will use the critical thinking tools (HOPs) being implemented with the teachers to support student engagement. The students will use the HOPs tools and skills to explore the guiding questions: How do we learn? Who are we? Who are we is relevant culture centered content that is reflective of the student’s respective diverse backgrounds. This provides teachers, staff and leadership a greater insight to the students as learners and who they are in creating and sustaining a successful learning experience.

On This Page the Videos Include:

  • The Process
  • Example 1:  Installations on student interests in NPS high schools
  • Example 2:  Creating PSA’s of things that matter to the students in NPS high schools
  • Example 3:  Developing surveys on things that matter to the students
  • More Examples to Scaffold From

High Schools Participating

  • American History High School
  • Bard High School
  • Barringer High School
  • Central High School
  • East Side High School
  • Malcolm X Shabazz High School
  • Newark Arts High School
  • Newark Evening School
  • Science Park High School
  • University High School
  • Vocational High School
  • Weequahic High School
  • West Side High School

West Side High School
Amplifying Student Voice
National Urban Alliance – Newark Public Schools 

“It takes patience, tolerance and teamwork to come together. You should be proud about your hair, it showcases your personality.”

Newark Arts High School
Amplifying Student Voice
National Urban Alliance – Newark Public Schools 

“It can touch someone’s heart. “

Central High School
Amplifying Student Voice
National Urban Alliance – Newark Public Schools

“Our voice can be heard no matter how big or little the message is.”

Barringer High School 
Amplifying Student Voice
National Urban Alliance – Newark Public Schools 

“What defines social justice?”

West Side High School
Amplifying Student Voice
National Urban Alliance – Newark Public Schools 

“If we really want change we should voice how we think.”

Newark Vocational High School
Amplifying Student Voice
National Urban Alliance – Newark Public Schools 

“We discussed topics like social justice working as a community.”

University High School
Amplifying Student Voice
National Urban Alliance – Newark Public Schools  

“…that commonality thing we should do with more groups… speak up about things…”

Newark Arts High School
Amplifying Student Voice
National Urban Alliance – Newark Public Schools 

“…teachers also have to be willing…”

University High School
Student Project Presentations
Amplifying Student Voice
National Urban Alliance – Newark Public Schools 

“…we spoke about change… we are going to have to come together…”

Bard High School
Amplifying Student Voice
National Urban Alliance – Newark Public Schools  

Process
The students will use critical thinking methods (High Operational Practices) to determine how the purpose and methods of equity consciousness reflectively supports their learning. They will use critical thinking methods to develop how they will use video to document the how do we learn and who are we in their classrooms and schools. Examples of critical thinking methods to be used include:

  • Collaborative Communities are three supporting methods for a systemic structure for collective and individual success. These include: community building community exercises, collaborative learning methods and peer-to-peer coaching.
  • Questions for Inquiry is the use of questioning methods to engage students in education and communities with dialogue. This includes effective methods for developing questioning skills leading to inquiry based discourse.
  • Visual Mapping is for organizing and seeing thinking individually and collaboratively to understand patterns of thinking with different cognitive processes along with the frame of reference to understand different perspectives.
  • Thinking Environments is an awareness, understanding and a process focused upon the design, interface and impact with the environment of the physical learning space including a person’s use of space, materials, objects and beliefs.
    Download the Newark Public Schools Guidebook