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Student voice is defined as the opinions, ideas, experiences and knowledge of young people in school. Student voice is best heard when there are no adult interpetations applied.
Students around the world are subject to compulsory attendance at school. With that as a backdrop, many young people seek to make schools more inviting, more engaging, and ultimately, more applicable to their lives. However, the culture of many schools does not allow that. Consequently, young people are often saddled with the task of making themselves heard in systems which show no reception to their voices.
In response to this imbalance of power, and as a way to transform classrooms into engaging learning environments, many educators have begun listening to what is addressed as "student voice." The dilema of this approach is that by proclaiming that students, representing the pluralism of society, have one common set of experiences, ideas, and knowledge that simply form a unified voice, educators become guilty of contriving a neoliberal justice. In turn, educators serve to alienate those who they supposedly intended to benefit. The solution to this challenge may well be Meaningful student involvement, student-led school change, or ultimately, student activism.
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