Posted on Wednesday, March, 11th, 2015 in Newsroom.
By Rebecca Nathanson
source: Rolling Stone
Parents, teachers and politicians have long dominated discussions around public education, but students themselves have recently begun playing a key role, asserting that they have the largest stake in these debates. In 1995, Philadelphia students who felt they weren’t receiving an adequate education due to a lack of funding and resources formed the Philadelphia Student Union (PSU). Leadership development has been essential in sustaining the group in more recent years. “You don’t want the organization to fail if you’re not there,” explains Nomi Martin-Brouillette, a PSU member and senior at Philadelphia’s Science Leadership Academy. “So as I’m at my school, I’m helping politicize and develop other students so that when I graduate they can take over.” Now, students in other cities are following PSU’s lead.