Is Responsiveness to Student Voice Related to Academic Outcomes? Strengthening the Rationale for Student Voice in School Reform

Abstract

Purpose: Drawing on relevant literature, we conceptualize three pathways through which responsiveness to student voice may promote academic goals. Then, we analyze panel data of students in the Chicago Public Schools to examine this relationship. We focus on the “responsiveness” of teachers and administrators to student voice, because prior work has highlighted that opportunities for student voice are often symbolic. Our central goal is to examine whether responsiveness to student voice is related to academic outcomes. Research Methods/Approach: We draw upon student records collected in Chicago Public Schools from the 2017–18 and 2018–19 school years, as well as students’ responses to questions administered in the district’s 2019 5Essentials Survey. We estimate models of the effect of responsiveness to student voice on students’ ninth-grade academic outcomes, controlling for students’ eighth-grade attendance and grade point average. Findings: In schools that students regard as responsive to their expressed critiques, students have better grades and attendance and reduced rates of chronic absenteeism. This is the first large-scale study employing panel data to examine the relationships between responsiveness to student voice and academic performance. Implications: Proponents of student voice have long emphasized its benefits in terms of democratic values and respect for the full humanity of young people. Scholars argue these benefits may be particularly important for students from marginalized communities. This study indicates that there are academic benefits as well. However, future studies are warranted to deepen our understanding of the mechanisms through which responsiveness to student voice yields valued benefits.