The National Speak Up District Recognition Program
For the past 16 years Project Tomorrow has helped thousands of K-12 school districts learn about the views of their stakeholders through their participation in the annual Speak Up Research Project. By reviewing and appreciating the authentic feedback of their students, parents and staff, these innovative districts have transformed their education enterprise to be more responsive and supportive of the needs of those stakeholders. The transformative work of these districts to substantively engage with their school communities and use the input of their stakeholders to inform new education initiatives, as well as policies and programs, inspires us every day. It is for this reason that we are excited to announce the release of a new national recognition program highlighting districts’ efforts to listen to their stakeholders and transform that feedback into actionable data that will be used to improve their school and district community.
K-12 school districts during the 2019-20 school year will be recognized with the following distinctions:
Speak Up District of Honor: awarded to K-12 districts that have made a commitment to listen to the voices of their stakeholders in their educational planning and decision-making. This commitment is actualized by registering to participate in Speak Up.
Speak Up District of Student Empowerment: awarded to K-12 districts who are enabling the authentic feedback of their K-12 students through the promotion of student participation in the Speak Up process.
Speak Up District of Community Trust: awarded to K-12 districts who are enabling the authentic feedback of key adult audiences within their education community such as parents, community members, teachers, librarians, and administrators through the promotion of participation in the Speak Up process for those stakeholders.
Speak Up District of Excellence: awarded to K-12 districts who are actively leveraging the feedback from their community stakeholders (students, parents, community members, and staff) to inform programs, policies and new initiatives to improve the learning and teaching experience for all.
In recognition of these districts’ commitment to their community, Project Tomorrow will honor each of these districts individually and nationally by:
• Every district registered by Oct 23 will be recognized based upon their level at Project Tomorrow’s Annual Congressional Briefing.
• Every district will receive a letter of recognition from Project Tomorrow with their status in appreciation of National Speak Up day on October 23rd, January 15th and April 22nd.
• Every district will have a letter of recognition given to their House of Representatives member stating that by participating in Speak Up, the district validates the importance of listening to their stakeholders’ views on how to improve local education.
• The Speak Up team will identify dedicated and invested districts to be awarded personalized seminars with Dr. Julie A. Evans. These seminars will give districts the opportunity to learn how to use and leverage their data to make a real change. District recipients will be announced during our National Speak Up Day dates and will receive seminar details.
• Districts of Excellence will be featured in Project Tomorrow’s blog
