Student governments do not often play a role in school accountability, yet, students have a great deal of information about the conditions in their schools. Student representatives can play an important role in gathering information about the conditions for learning at their school by sharing this information with school officials and encouraging them to make changes. This year IDEA has forged a partnership with student leaders from Metro Los Angeles. Throughout the year, these student leaders will gather information from their fellow students and share what they learn with TCLA.

I interviewed student leaders from four different high schools—New Roads School, Santa Monica High School, Roosevelt High School, and Mark Keppel High School and asked each to describe the personality of their school. The students were both very willing and motivated to describe their school, share their hopes and concerns, and give us a glimpse of what they are doing as leaders to represent student voices and promote an encouraging atmosphere within their schools. From these initial discussions, the student leaders developed student focus groups and conducted surveys in their classes. This research allowed them to compare their own point of view to other student views and to see what they should keep in mind while planning student government activities throughout the year. The student leaders learned a great deal about how young people can play a role in gathering information for school improvement. Below, you can read how these student leaders decribed their school in TCLA's “Virtual School Report Card” by clicking on the school's name in the map above or on the photographs below.