RSVP

Spring 2008 Training Session:
Cherokee High School, Friday May 2

CLICK HERE for a Registration Packet!

CLICK HERE for a Learn & Serve America Grant Application!

Raising Student Voice & Participation!

The New Jersey Association of Student Councils (NJASC) is proud to offer “Raising Student Voice & Participation” (RSVP) training that will detail a process to help you encourage more students in your school to build a personal connection with the school community and to participate more effectively in service and learning inside and outside of the school. The training requires the participation of the student council adviser (or other appropriate adviser) and at least two student leaders (sophomores or juniors). Because the RSVP process is intended to reach every student in your school, and because RSVP is a component of comprehensive reform initiatives sponsored by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), please review the program with your principal.

RSVP is a program administered by NASSP and the National Association of Student Councils (NASC). After the success of a one-year pilot of the program in 110 schools in 11 states, the program is now being offered on a much larger scale and is available in 40 states. NASC is planning to ensure that every student council in the country has the ability to take advantage of this process that offers opportunities for student councils to “get back to their roots” of being effective leaders in school and community matters beyond the important school spirit functions.

Representatives from our state recently participated in a rigorous national training session that will allow us to offer RSVP training to high schools in our state. We ask you to seriously consider this opportunity for the benefit of your students. If you would like to pursue, please complete and submit the registration as soon as possible but certainly no later than April 18, 2008. If you have questions about the training, please contact Christine Arszulowicz of Bayonne High School at befania@mac.com. If you have more general questions, please visit the RSVP web site at www.nasc.us/rsvp or email the NASC office at rsvp@nasc.us.

What is RSVP, and why should we do it?

“Engaged student councils can be a principal’s best ally. They can help push reforms that will benefit students; they can develop strategies in answer to student concerns that will help improve school climate. Let them be one of your partners.” - NASSP

What is RSVP?

Student engagement program sponsored by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) and the National Association of Student Councils (NASC). Visit www.nasc.us/rsvp for more information.
It is easily integrated into existing student council programs. Student council leaders plan and facilitate a series of summits that engage the student body in dialogues and assemble student action teams to carry out plans for resolving concerns identified in the summits.
RSVP asks students what they care about, what proposals they have for community and school improvement, and what actions can be taken, in cooperation with adults, to implement their ideas for positive change.

Challenges Addressed by RSVP

Provides principals with a way to utilize the leadership of their student councils to engage students more and personalize their school experience.
Involves all students and student populations—specifically giving those students who are typically not involved an opportunity to share their voices and participate in civic-based activities.
Establishes a process and framework for developing and implementing student-directed projects.
Brings abstract learning to life: “Students who learn about democracy in social studies courses but who fail to see it practiced in the classroom or school are given the message that democracy is a lofty ideal, but it is not for the real world. What is needed then is an approach to citizenship education that will not only prepare students for democratic participation but help them to appreciate the value of democratic institutions”. (Power 1993, p190)
Extends opportunities for leadership and involvement to non-elected students

RSVP Supports School Reform

In the widely recognized high school reform publication, Breaking Ranks II: Strategies for Leading High School Reform, six of the thirty-one recommendations relate to student voice and leadership. RSVP provides your school with a systematic and comprehensive way to begin to address each:

Promote service programs and student activities as integral to education, providing opportunities for all students that support and extend academic learning.
Accord meaningful roles in decision making to students…in order to promote student learning and an atmosphere of participation, responsibility and ownership (One specific strategy mentioned to accomplish this: “Provide student government…with opportunities to be included in decisions of substantive issues.”)
Advocate and model a set of core values essential in a democratic and civil society.
Connect the curriculum to real-life applications of knowledge and skills to help students link their education to the future
Promote policies and practices that recognize diversity in accord with the core values of a democratic and civil society
Develop political and financial relationships with individuals, organization, and businesses to support and supplement educational programs and policies.

How is the Principal Involved in RSVP?

Principal support is crucial. As with most school-based activities programs, NASSP believes that principals have the responsibility to review and approve activities. The principal can also help influence and guide the RSVP process as well as get buy-in from the faculty for the project. In addition, the principal can:

Be a resource for students by helping students understand community resources available to them.
Check in regularly with the RSVP Leadership team to hear how the process is working and to learn about any potential issues
Help sustain the support of local policy-makers and community leaders for the student initiatives as well as invite various community leaders in to serve as consultants to the students.
Encourage parents to get involved.
Help students celebrate successful initiatives.

How is the Student Council Adviser Involved in RSVP?

The role of the student council adviser is vitally important. The student council adviser (or another interested faculty member, e.g., a government teacher) oversees all of RSVP’s processes and products and serves as the primary point of contact in the school. The student council or RSVP adviser is also the individual who sets the tone for youth-adult partnerships at the heart of this initiative. Since the project is student-focused and driven, it is important that this individual be prepared to guide the work, not direct it. She or he is wonderfully positioned to ensure that the process gives students both the confidence and skills to develop effective decision-making. The adviser will be the person most able to ensure the contributions of all students, not just a subset of student council or some other segment of the student body.

The student council or RSVP advisers’ responsibilities include:

Attending a state or regional training and helping familiarize the school community with the resources, training, and information received there
Working with the Leadership Team to launch RSVP and introduce it to the school and community
Guiding the work of the school’s RSVP Leadership Team
Assisting students on the Leadership Team with the Student Facilitator training
Keeping the rest of the faculty informed about the project and arranging the necessary space and time for student summits.
Organizing—with the Leadership Team—the presentation of the Civic Action Plan and any end-of-year celebration conducted in the school.