Who Gets to Lead? Expanding Student Voice with Rachel Thrash

When schools picture a student leader, they often imagine the confident speaker, the high achiever, or the student who already understands how to succeed within existing systems. But what about the students who are rarely invited to lead? In this episode, Tricia speaks with educator and author Rachel Thrash about expanding student leadership beyond the familiar few. Her book, Let the Learners Lead: Empowering Student Voice to Co-Create School Culture, presents leadership as something every young person can practice, not a privilege reserved for students who already fit a traditional leadership profile. Rachel explains how educators can move from simply asking for student input to genuinely co-creating with learners. She discusses why adults need the courage to admit they do not have every answer, what students gain when educators resist solving every problem for them, and how shared responsibility can strengthen student agency, belonging, and school culture. The conversation also offers practical tools schools can use to make student voice more authentic and inclusive. In this episode: Why traditional student leadership models leave many learners out The difference between student voice, student agency, and student leadership How co-creation changes the relationship between educators and students Why adults should resist rushing in to solve every student problem How uncertainty can become part of authentic leadership Practical ways to create more inclusive leadership opportunities How shared responsibility supports belonging and school culture What it means to treat leadership as a practice rather than a title This conversation is for teachers, school leaders, instructional coaches, and anyone seeking practical ways to increase student voice, agency, belonging, and participation in school decision-making. Featured guest: Rachel Thrash, educator and author of Let the Learners Lead: Empowering Student Voice to Co-Create School Culture https://www.routledge.com/Let-the-Learners-Lead-Empowering-Student-Voice-to-Co-Create-School-Culture/Thrash/p/book/9781041155713 Thank you to our show sponsor: Unfurl Learn more with Unfurl: https://unfurl.sh/ Are you subscribed to AI Forward? One lucky listener can win a pro account, be sure to subscribe to AI Forward to learn more: https://k12aileadershipbrief.substack.com/