Tag: Student Agency, Identity & Experiences

How Do Students Really Feel About High School? And What Can Educators Do About It?

High School Redesign

How Do Students Really Feel About High School? And What Can Educators Do About It?

Between class, homework, and extracurriculars, high school students spend much of their lives at school. As Anna, a student at Crosstown High, an XQ school in Memphis, TN, explained,…

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Anna Sudderth Contributing Writer
Listen to How Teachers Can Help Students Feel Seen on “This Teenage Life”

High School Life

Listen to How Teachers Can Help Students Feel Seen on “This Teenage Life”

XQ  is proud to sponsor This Teenage Life (TTL), a podcast made by and for teens. TTL features diverse teen voices and helps them share their stories about issues that…

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Beth Fertig
What Happened to Reading for Fun? And What Can We Do About It?

High School Life

What Happened to Reading for Fun? And What Can We Do About It?

You know you’ve got a problem when you’re afraid to check your screen time. Over the past year and a half, I’ve started dreading my weekly average report every Sunday, as the hours I spent on my phone each day steadily climbed with every month in lockdown. 

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Kristiana Filipov
Student Advice on Centering Mental Health by Welcoming Students as They Are

High School & Society

Student Advice on Centering Mental Health by Welcoming Students as They Are

The pandemic placed student mental health at the forefront of education, but how schools reopen could help us build a more resilient and caring education.

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Anna Sudderth Contributing Writer
The First Graduates of this Brooklyn High School Prove that Perseverance Pays Off

High School Life

The First Graduates of this Brooklyn High School Prove that Perseverance Pays Off

Brooklyn Laboratory High School opened with family and parent insight at the core. This year they graduate a truly exceptional class of changemakers.

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Hana Beach Editorial Associate, XQ Institute
Brown Ballerinas for Change: What One Organization Can Teach Us About Dance, Artivism, and Empowering Young People

High School & Society

Brown Ballerinas for Change: What One Organization Can Teach Us About Dance, Artivism, and Empowering Young People

Learn more about why we’re inviting students ages 13 to 21 to tell their story through movement and dance based on what we learned from the organization Brown Ballerinas for Change.

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Ann-Katherine Kimble Curriculum Writer and Designer at XQ
Repeal the Invisible Tax on Educators of Color

High School & Society

Repeal the Invisible Tax on Educators of Color

Black educators move through the profession carrying an extra burden that often pushes Black educators out of the profession. Director of the Center for Black Educator Development Sharif El-Mekki discusses this “Invisible Tax” and proposes solutions to keep educators of colors in the classroom.

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Sharif El-Mekki Founder & CEO, Center for Black Educator Development
An XQ Toolkit That Makes High School Transformation Possible in Every Community

High School Redesign

An XQ Toolkit That Makes High School Transformation Possible in Every Community

We believe high school transformation is necessary and possible. And, we know, there’s no one way to do it.

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Anne Mackinnon Managing Director of Education Content & Tools, XQ Institute
#Artivism: The Power of Art in Raising Student Activists

High School Life

#Artivism: The Power of Art in Raising Student Activists

Creativity and imagination are central to lifelong learning. Learn more about how cultivating imagination can empower students to create a better future.

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Team XQ #ReThinkHighSchool
These Students Won the XQ #MakeASongChallenge

High School Life

These Students Won the XQ #MakeASongChallenge

5 Resources for Amplifying Student Voices and Experiences

High School Life

5 Resources for Amplifying Student Voices and Experiences

To rethink high school, we must create space for student voice. Here are 5 resources for you to use in your classroom this week.

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Team XQ #ReThinkHighSchool
Renée Fleming

High School Life

Renée Fleming

Michelle Morales

High School Life

Michelle Morales

student janay kelley spoken word artists

High School Life

Student Performs Powerful Spoken Word Poem About Graduation and Life

explore identity workshop with ashanti branch

High School Life

How to Find Your Identity: Workshop and Framework with Ashanti Branch

XQ Super School: Da Vinci RISE High

High School Life

This Student Went Through the Foster System. Now She’s Graduating.| XQ Students

This Student Started a Project to Bring Her Community Together | XQ Students

High School Life

This Student Started a Project to Bring Her Community Together | XQ Students

Mini Shark Tank: Middle School Female Entrepreneurs Pitch Business Ideas

High School Life

Mini Shark Tank: Middle School Female Entrepreneurs Pitch Business Ideas

students give motivational speeches to teachers

High School Life

Supporting Students Share Words of Motivation for Teachers During COVID-19 Pandemic

watch videos rethinktogether.com

High School Life

This Student is Learning Computer Science in High School | XQ Students

Taking Up Space as a Black Woman Is a Revolutionary Act

High School Life

Taking Up Space as a Black Woman Is a Revolutionary Act

"Between the secure and loving walls, my parents built for me, I was taught to value my voice, understand my worth, and envision endless possibilities for my future."

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Amari Pollard Writer and Audience Development strategist
These “Tutor Teens” Launched a Business to Help Younger Students and Families Learn Remotely

High School Life

These “Tutor Teens” Launched a Business to Help Younger Students and Families Learn Remotely

These students used COVID-19 as an opportunity to help other students. Here's how they did it.

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Team XQ #ReThinkHighSchool
Hope Thrives From This High School’s Community Garden

High School Life

Hope Thrives From This High School’s Community Garden

How do you keep environmental justice at the core of your school when students are learning remotely? Here's what one school in Texas is doing.

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Team XQ #ReThinkHighSchool
Student Shares All: How to Support Students With Disabilities

High School Life

Student Shares All: How to Support Students With Disabilities

Remote learning presents a different set of challenges for students with disabilities. Hear from one student on how we can support these students during COVID-19.

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Josh Stern XQ Student Advisor
Students Share What It’s Like to Learn in an Innovative High School

High School Life

Students Share What It’s Like to Learn in an Innovative High School

These three students come from three innovative schools that put students at the center. Here’s what it’s like to attend these schools.

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Team XQ #ReThinkHighSchool
13 Teacher Tips For Building Student Voice and Agency

High School Life

13 Teacher Tips For Building Student Voice and Agency

Giving students a voice in their education and the freedom to drive their learning is crucial when rethinking high school. Here are 13 tips to help your students gain agency in your classroom.

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Team XQ #ReThinkHighSchool
7 years later, I help others learn to love themselves

High School Life

7 years later, I help others learn to love themselves

Grace struggled with self image throughout high school. Now, her story inspires students today to love themselves. Here's how.

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Grace Nesbitt @AnotherAcnePage on Instagram
Everyday Hero: What you’re going through now does not define you

High School Life

Everyday Hero: What you’re going through now does not define you

This student experienced homelessness, and now is going to his dream school. And he wants you to know that "...what you're going through now does not define you."

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Team XQ #ReThinkHighSchool

High School Life

Making an impact: From homeless high school valedictorian to Georgetown University grad

This student defied the odds and graduated from Georgetown, despite challenges. Here's her story

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Team XQ #ReThinkHighSchool
Hard Work, Meet the DIY Girls: The story of an all-girl engineering team

High School Life

Hard Work, Meet the DIY Girls: The story of an all-girl engineering team

This LA-based nonprofit teaches STEM to 650 girls in elementary, middle, and high school. Here's how they do it, and what it looks like in practice.

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Team XQ #ReThinkHighSchool
Everyday Hero: The Purpose of the Paint – Running for Women Without a Voice

High School Life

Everyday Hero: The Purpose of the Paint – Running for Women Without a Voice

When Rosalie Fish stepped up to the starting line, she was preparing to run for more than herself and her school. Find out why.

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Team XQ #ReThinkHighSchool
Taking it to the streets in Cedar Rapids

High School Life

Taking it to the streets in Cedar Rapids

These students in Iowa learned about street art, history, and marketing by building a replica Berlin wall with a local museum. Here’s how.

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Team XQ #ReThinkHighSchool
What do students want? Ask them.

High School Life

What do students want? Ask them.

High school students tell us what’s working at their schools and what we can do to better prepare them for life beyond graduation.

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Team XQ #ReThinkHighSchool
How a hot-dog stand is changing young people’s lives in Alabama

High School Life

How a hot-dog stand is changing young people’s lives in Alabama

This student-run hot dog stand in Alabama is teaching students valuable skills in high school. Find out how they've made an impact.

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Team XQ #ReThinkHighSchool
Want to create a more inclusive school? Give students a voice

High School Life

Want to create a more inclusive school? Give students a voice

Maryland high school students find on-campus forums make all the difference. Find out what giving students a voice does at this school.

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Team XQ #ReThinkHighSchool
How Bartleby Changed The Way I See My Own Education

High School Life

How Bartleby Changed The Way I See My Own Education

This student helped design a school of the future, driven by student passion and real-world experience. Here’s her story.

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Team XQ #ReThinkHighSchool

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