School Participatory Budgeting: Student Voice and Choice

• In Event: Enhancing Student Civic Connections through Experiential and Active Learning

Abstract

The unequal distribution of K12 civic learning opportunities is well-documented. Access to high-quality civic learning opportunities can be traced along lines of race, geographic location, socioeconomic status, gender, and ability. Historically minoritized student subgroups are often afforded fewer opportunities to develop the civic knowledge, attitudes, skills, and practices (KASPs) necessary for full participation in democratic life. These opportunities range from leadership and public speaking skills to deliberative competencies and political efficacy. Historically minoritized students are less likely to experience civic-oriented government classes, service-learning programs, democratic simulations, exposure to and discussion of current events, and classroom environments open to dialogue and conversations. Concerningly, inequitable access to civic learning and engagement can widen over time and lend itself to uneven political agency and power and civic participation and capacity among adult populations.

In this paper, we discuss an emergent, innovative approach to rethinking K12 civic learning: school participatory budgeting (SPB). SPB is a civic pedagogical practice that simultaneously nurtures civic engagement, political efficacy, and school democracy. Through a five-phase process, students mirror an election process to decide how to spend a portion of the school's budget. Several studies have shown SPB to empower students to lead as community problem-solvers and acquire skills and attitudes needed for lifelong active civic engagement. Additional research has shown SPB to open pathways to equitable civic learning opportunities and inclusionary civic engagement practices in schools.

SPB has been growing in different parts of the world in the last decade, from Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and the United States to Italy, Portugal, Spain, France, Scotland, Poland, Russia, Slovakia and Romania, and Zambia among others. In 2013, one high school in Arizona was the first in the US to pilot an SPB process. Since then, Arizona has been at the forefront of SPB experimentation, innovation, and expansion. SPB is now being implemented in over 60 Arizona public schools, involving upwards of 80,000 students every year.

SPB is an offspring of participatory budgeting (PB), a democratic process in which communities make decisions on how to spend a portion of a public budget. PB started in 1989 in Brazil and is now being implemented in over 11,000 cities across the world. Research on the municipal PB process has shown the process increases government transparency and more equitable resource allocation on the one hand, and on the other hand, more trust and engagement from community members.

Similar to PB, the SPB process is typically organized in five steps: 1) students propose ideas to improve the school community; 2) students transform these ideas into viable proposals by conducting research and considering impacts, costs, and feasibility; 3) students campaign for and deliberate on viable proposals by discussing pros and cons; 4) full student body votes on proposals to select winning projects; and 5) winning projects are funded and implemented, with the cycle repeated the following year. The SPB process focuses on creating a space for students to advocate for a school community project through collective voice while increasing civic and leadership skills and building relationships.

Our paper will be discussed in three key parts and will provide participants with the information and resources needed to implement an SPB process within their school community. First, we will discuss several case study examples of different SPB processes and explore the ways other schools have designed and implemented SPB. Second, we will detail the SPB process to familiarize participants with the sequence, different phases, and necessary resources to implement SPB. Third, time will be devoted to discussing current innovations and expansions of SPB. Provided resources will include an educator tool kit, student curriculum, and research and evaluation guide.

Authors

• Tara Lynn Bartlett, Arizona State University

• KaRa Lyn Thrasher, Center for the Future of Arizona