Students often know first when something is wrong at school, and they’re often the least likely to say so. Speaking up can feel risky, and reporting tools usually only exist for when something has already gone wrong.
SpeakOut with Advocatr gives middle school students a simple, safe way to tell school staff what’s going on, good or bad, so schools can respond before small problems grow.
The program
SpeakOut is the student voice part of Project BASICS (Behavioral Accountability for a Successful Instructional Climate in Schools) at the University of Oregon. The project has two goals:
- Help middle school students advocate for their own and others’ physical and emotional safety at school, and for a positive, trusting school climate.
- Help teachers create non-punitive, restorative environments where students feel safe sharing with staff, and staff respond restoratively to student concerns.
Project BASICS has three parts: student voice through SpeakOut with Advocatr, teacher professional development in restorative practices through Positive and Restorative Schools (PRoS), and a social-emotional learning curriculum for students and teachers.
The challenge
The app had to work for 11 to 14 year olds. That meant it needed to be quick, friendly and obviously private, or students wouldn’t use it. It also had to give school staff clear, useful information they could act on.
What we built
IEQ Technology designed and built the SpeakOut mobile app for iOS and Android, along with its website.
- Check in. “How are you feeling?” gives students a quick way to share how their day is going.
- Share what’s going on. Students post a Concern when something is wrong, or a Celebrate when something good happens. Celebrations matter: the app isn’t only a reporting tool, it’s a way to recognize what’s going right at school.
- Follow up. The Status of Posts screen lets students see where each of their posts stands, so speaking up doesn’t feel like talking to a wall.
The website introduced the program to students, families and school staff in English and Spanish, with sign-in, an FAQ and links to download the app.
Built with the people who use it
The app and website were shaped by feedback from students, school personnel and parents in the school communities taking part. That feedback guided the tone, the wording and how simple each screen needed to be.
Funding
The research behind SpeakOut with Advocatr is supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Grant R305A210071 to the University of Oregon.
