The VOYCE collaborative believes the engagement of CPS students, themselves, is vital in helping resolve high dropout and low college-enrollment rates that continue to plague Chicago public high schools.  Supported with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Communities for Public Education Reform, the group’s student leaders undertook a year-long study of the reasons for these problems and potential solutions. 

Key Research Themes and Findings… 

Reasons for Dropping Out
Through surveys and interviews, youth researchers explored the reasons why students drop out of school. Through the analysis of responses, two key findings emerged: 

• Finding #1: Students in Chicago Public Schools have internalized the problem of the dropout rate and believe that they are the ones to blame for the failures of the school system. There is a difference between perception and reality when it comes to the reasons for the dropout rate, and it is only through a deeper critical analysis that students come to realize the systemic problems impacting public education. 
• Finding #2: Dropping out is not something that students plan or anticipate. It is something that happens slowly over time. 

What It Means to Be a Life-Long Learner
Youth prioritized the theme of life-long learner because it is their belief that learning is a life-long commitment that extends even after college. They also feel that students need to be challenged to take what they learn in their classes and expand on that knowledge outside of school. To the VOYCE student researchers, it is up to students to seek knowledge and take ownership of their education, and it is up to the school to encourage, develop, and support that desire. Much of the research was framed around what is needed for schools to develop life-long learners.

Rigor and Relevance of Curriculum
Student researchers explored the theme of relevance in curriculum because they felt a disconnect between the curriculum and the reality of their everyday lives, their culture, and community. Through their surveys and interviews, the researchers found that other students felt the same disconnect.

• Finding #3: While teachers, parents, and students agree that relevance in curriculum is critical to students’ engagement in school, students feel that relevance is largely missing in their schools. Student researchers also explored the theme of rigor and college-going culture. Through surveys and interviews at their schools, the theme of college rarely surfaced. It was only through school site visits, conducted in Chicago, New York, New Jersey, California, Washington, and Texas, that the researchers came to understand the impact that rigor and college-going culture could have on a student’s success.
•  Finding #4: Through the national site visits, students came to understand that in addition to relating to students’ culture and real-life situations, curriculum needs to explicitly make the connection that school is a stepping stone to college and future careers.

Effective Teaching Techniques
VOYCE student researchers chose the theme of teaching techniques because they realized that even if they had a different curriculum, improved teaching techniques would create a stronger connection between teachers and students. Through their research, students came to the following conclusions regarding teaching techniques: 

• Finding #5: Teaching techniques must accommodate many different styles of learning because different methods work for different students. Strong relationships, and the way that teachers connect with, motivate, and inspire students, are essential for effective teaching techniques to unfold. 

Participatory Action Research | Solutions | Pilot Projects | Publications | Download the Report (PDF)