Treating Every Student as a Leader Changes Everything
Schoolutions: Curious Educators. Evidence-Based Strategies. Classrooms Where Every Child Thrives.
05/20/26
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Is your student council secretly reinforcing the status quo? In this short from my S5E38 @schoolutionspodcast conversation, Rachael Thrash, author of Let the Learners Lead and Senior Director of Education & Innovation at Big Bad Boo Studios, breaks down why traditional student leadership models are built on barriers that silence the very students whose voices matter most.
When school leadership becomes a privilege for the already-confident, already-popular, already-successful kids, we send a quiet but powerful message: this space isn't for you. Real school culture change starts when we treat every student as a leader in the making.
Watch, reflect, and share Part 1 & Part 2 of our @schoolutionspodcast S5E38 interview.
📧 Book a coaching session with me here: https://www.oliviawahl.com/printable-resources/p/professional-mentorship-expert-networking, if you’d like a thought partner to help you cultivate curious learners who advocate for what they believe in.
📘 Grab Rachael's book: Let the Learners Lead
🌐 Learn more: https://cocreateschools.com/
Chapters
0:00 Why Traditional Student Leadership Fails
0:20 The Status Quo Problem in Student Councils
0:45 School as a Laboratory — For Every Student
1:10 What Exclusive Leadership Models Really Teach Kids
1:35 How We Repeat Society's Inequities in Schools
#Schoolutions #SchoolutionsPodcast #ForeverGettingBetter #CuriosityDriven #EvidenceBased #ClassroomReadyStrategies #StudentLeadership #ClassroomBelonging #StudentEngagement #EquityInEducation #InclusiveTeaching #SchoolCulture #StudentVoice #ProKidMindset #LetTheLearnersLead #EffectiveTeaching #InstructionalLeadership #SchoolImprovement #EmpoweredEducators #TeacherCoaching #ActiveLearning #InspiringStudents #EducationTransformation #CulturallyResponsiveTeaching #WholeChild #SchoolChange #TeacherImpact #AntiTeaching #NewTeachers #ProfessionalDevelopment #SchoolLeadership #Schoolutions
When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.
Previous Episode
Is your student council accidentally silencing the students who need a voice most?
In Part 1 of this two-part S5E38 @schoolutionspodcast conversation, Rachael Thrash, Senior Director of Education and Innovation at Big Bad Boo Studios and author of Let the Learners Lead: Empowering Student Voice to Co-Create School Culture, breaks down why traditional student leadership models are quietly reinforcing the status quo, and what co-creation actually looks and feels like in schools.
Rachael walks us through David Yeager's research and the student voice continuum, unpacks why a student survey is NOT the same as student voice, and shares two unforgettable stories about what happens when teachers trust kids enough to let things get messy. This is instructional leadership and school culture work at its most human.
Some episode mentions:
- Rachael Thrash's website
- 10 to 25 by David Yeager, PhD
- Designing Group Work by Cohen and Lawton
- Student Voice Continuum — Teschales and Nykula, University of Pennsylvania
- International School of Helsinki
- Tricia Friedman
🎧 Part 2 drops Friday, where Rachael walks us through a school case study, whose voices get overlooked most, and the one move you can make on Monday morning to get this work started.
CHAPTERS
0:00 — Hook: Is Your Student Council Doing More Harm Than Good?
1:00 — Welcome & Introduction: Who Is Rachael Thrash?
2:00 — Research Spotlight: David Yeager & Designing Group Work
3:30 — What Traditional Student Leadership Gets Wrong
5:00 — The Student Council Constitution That Excludes Most Kids
6:00 — The Moment Rachael Knew We Had to Do This Differently
7:30 — Student Voice vs. Student Survey: There's a Huge Difference
9:00 — The Student Voice Continuum Explained
10:30 — Co-Creation: What It Actually Means for Students & Adults
11:30 — What Happens When Teachers Let Go of Control
12:30 — The Resistance Art Gallery Story
14:30 — The Helsinki Interview That Changed Everything
16:00 — Life Is Messy — and That's the Point
16:45 — Lightning Round With Rachael Thrash
19:00 — Key Takeaways & Call to Action
19:45 — Come Back for Part 2 — Preview
Join our community of educators committed to cultivating student success, inspired teaching, and creating inclusive classrooms with a pro-kid mindset focused on the whole child.
📧 🎧 New episodes every Monday & Friday with bite-sized Wednesday reel bonus content.
📧 Book a coaching session with me here if you’d like a thought partner to help you cultivate curious learners who advocate for what they believe in.
🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl
Don't forget to🔔SUBSCRIBE for more teaching tips, and 💬SHARE!
#schoolutions #schoolutionspodcast #forevergettingbetter #curiositydriven #evidencebasedstrategies #classroomreadystrategies #StudentVoice #SchoolCulture #StudentLeadership #CoCreation #LetTheLearnersLead #RachaelThrash #Schoolutions #OliviaWahl #InclusiveTeaching #EquityInEducation #ClassroomBelonging #StudentEngagement #InstructionalLeadership #SchoolImprovement #TeacherCoaching #InstructionalCoaching #EffectiveTeaching #ActiveLearning #EmpoweredEducators #WholeChild #ProKidMindset #CulturallyResponsiveTeaching #AntiBiasTeaching #EducationTransformation #TeacherImpact #ProfessionalDevelopment #NewTeachers #SchoolLeadership #FamilyPartnerships #inspiringstudents
When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.
Next Episode
What happens when the students whom everyone overlooks become the ones who change everything?
In Part 2 of this must-hear S5E38 @schoolutionspodcast conversation, Rachael Thrash shares the inspiring story about Angolan students in Portland, Maine, who turned their isolation into a school-wide soccer tournament, walks through her Actionable Participatory Model step by step, and gives you the one move you can make this Monday to start co-creation in your classroom today.
Rachael unpacks why shy students, multilingual learners, and kids who learn differently are the most silenced voices in schools, and exactly how strategic facilitation and inclusive teaching can change that. This is equity in education and school culture work at its most practical and most human.
💫Make sure to watch Part 1 & check out some of the resources mentioned:
- Rachael Thrash's website
- Let the Learners Lead: Empowering Student Voice to Co-Create School Culture by Rachael Thrash
- Baxter Academy for Science and Technology, Portland, Maine
- International School of Helsinki
Next Week: Tan Huynh and Beth Skelton are on a mission to reach the students everyone assumes are fine — experienced multilinguals who can chat in the hallway but still can't write a formal essay with ease. Tune in to learn about their new book, Integrated Literacy for Experienced Multilinguals, and for the personal stories, the framework, and the moves that offer these students the instruction they've always deserved.
Chapters:
0:00 — Hook: Angolan Students Who Changed Their Whole School
1:00 — Welcome Back & Part 2 Overview
1:30 — Case Study: Baxter Academy for Science and Technology, Portland, Maine
3:00 — How Isolation Became the Catalyst for Change
4:00 — From Problem to Proposal: The Soccer League Story
5:30 — The Confidence Ripple Effect — What the Biology Teacher Noticed
6:30 — Whose Voices Get Overlooked Most Often
7:30 — The Story of Risa: From Silent to Leading
9:00 — How a Student Leadership Retreat Changed Everything
10:00 — Introducing the Actionable Participatory Model
10:30 — Step 1: Relationship Building and Connection
11:30 — Step 2: Exploring What's Working and What Isn't
12:30 — Step 3: Imagining a Better School
13:00 — Step 4: Breaking Ideas Into Actionable Projects
14:00 — Step 5: Real Audience, Real Stakes
14:45 — Step 6: Reflection and Redefining Together
16:00 — Why This Book Is a Mentor Text for Teachers
16:30 — What the World Is Demanding of Kids Right Now
17:30 — Why Co-Creation Defies AI
19:00 — Regenerative Education and Hattie's Research
20:30 — Page 143: The Co-Create Framework Quote
22:00 — The One Move to Start This Work on Monday
24:00 — Key Takeaways and Call to Action
25:00 — Next Week Preview: Tan Huynh and Beth Skelton
26:00 — Outro and How to Work With Olivia Wahl
📧 🎧 New episodes every Monday & Friday with bite-sized Wednesday reel bonus content.
📧 Book a coaching session with me here if you’d like a thought partner to help you cultivate curious learners who advocate for what they believe in.
🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl
Don't forget to🔔SUBSCRIBE for more teaching tips, and 💬SHARE!
Next week's conversation: Tan Huynh and Beth Skelton are on a mission to reach the students everyone assumes are fine — experienced multilinguals who can chat in the hallway but still can't write a formal essay with ease. Tune in to learn about their new book, Integrated Literacy for Experienced Multilinguals, and for the personal stories, the framework, and the moves that offer these students the instruction they've always deserved.
#schoolutions #schoolutionspodcast #forevergettingbetter #curiositydriven #evidencebasedstrategies #classroomreadystrategies #StudentVoice #CoCreation #LetTheLearnersLead #RachaelThrash #Schoolutions #OliviaWahl #ActionableParticipatoryModel #StudentLeadership #InclusiveTeaching #EquityInEducation #ClassroomBelonging #StudentEngagement #Multilingual #ELLStudents #ShyStudents #Overlooked...
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