Over 20 years ago the influential English sociologists Hammersely and Woods (1984) commented:"There can be little doubt that pupils' own interpretations of school processes represent a crucial link in the educational chain. Unless we understand how pupils respond to different forms of pedagogy and school organization and why they respond in the ways that they do, our efforts to increase the effectiveness, or to change the impact, of schooling will stand little chance of success" (p. 3).
Cook-Sather (2002) said:"As long as we exclude student perspectives from our conversations about schooling and how it needs to change, our efforts at reform will be based on an incomplete picture of life in classrooms and schools and how that life could be improved" (p. 3).
Seeking out the voice of students and engaging them in issues that face them uphold the values and principles of democracy (Sands, Guzman, Stephens, & Boggs, 2007).As we listen to the voices of diverse students and respond to those voices, we will have schools that work for them.
I concur with what John Morefield said in his work, Recreating Schools for All Children:"I have come to believe that a school designed to work for children of color, works for white children. The reverse, however, is not true. Consequently, if we design our schools to work for children of color they will work for all children."
REFERENCES
Cook-Sather, A. (2002). Authorizing students' perspectives: Toward trust, dialogue, andchange in education. Educational Researcher, 31(4), 3.-14.
Hammersley, M., & Woods, P. (Eds.) (1984). Life in school: The sociology of pupil culture.
Milton Keynes, UK: Open University Press.
Morefield, J. (???). Recreating schools for all children. Retrieved December 6, 2007 from
World Wide Web http://www.newhorizons.org/trans/morefield.htm#expectations
Sands, D. L., Guzman, L., Stephens, L., & Boggs, A. (2007). Including student voices in
school reform: Students speak out. Journal of Latinos and Education, 6, 323-345.
