Student council
Encyclopedia
Student council is a curricular
or extra-curricular activity for student
s within elementary and secondary schools around the world. Present in most public and private
K-12
school systems across the United States, Canada and Australia these bodies are alternatively entitled student council, student government, Associated Student Body, Student Activity Council, Student Council Association or S.C.A. Student councils often serve to engage students
in learning about democracy
and leadership
, as originally espoused by John Dewey
in Democracy and Education (1917).
with teacher
s and school principals. They often also help raise funds for school-wide activities, including social events, community projects and school reform. For example most schools do food drives, fundraisers and parties. Many members learn skills that were an extension of their formal education.
According to several schools:
"A Student Council is a representative structure for students only, through which they can become involved in the affairs of the school, working in partnership with school management, staff and parents for the benefit of the school and its students."
, with a President, Vice-President, secretary, treasurer, and reporter. In this form student representatives and officers are usually elected from and by the student body, although there may be prerequisites for candidacy or suffrage. In elementary schools, there are typically one or two student representatives per classroom and one presiding set of officers. However, many secondary schools have one set of officers per grade level.
An example of the structure of an elementary
student council may include a president, a vice president, secretary, treasurer, sergeant of legs, fundraising officer and historian. These roles may be assigned or voted on, either within the student council or by the entire student body. They may also reflect descending grade-levels, with the president in the oldest grade, and so forth. Secondary school governments often have more independence and power than younger governments. Often a student government is overseen by a sponsor, which is usually a teacher at that particular school. Most junior or middle school student councils have a constitution of some sort and usually do not have a judicial branch. Compared to elementary school councils, junior high and high school councils generally have fewer people.
In some schools, a student council representative is assigned to each class. That person passes on requests, ideas and complaints from students in that class to the student council. In other schools, the elected Class Officers
are automatically members of the student council.
Student councils usually do not have funding authority and generally must generate their operating funds through fundraisers
such as car washes and bake sales. Some student councils have a budget from the school, along with responsibility for funding a variety of student activities within a school.
, the National Association of Student Councils. In Canada
, the Canadian Association of Student Activity Advisors coordinates the national scene, and in the United Kingdom
an organization called involver
provides training, support and coordination for the nation's student councils
there has been sustained development of student councils in post primary schools. In 2001 the Union of Secondary Students
was founded as the National Umbrella body to organize and coordinate the national campaign efforts of the student councils. The Union of Secondary Students has a membership of 13% of post primary students in the Republic of Ireland, and the number is increasing.
are required by law to have a student council elected by the students. The aim of student council is usually to improve their school through encouraging social, cultural and other extracurricular events in the local community. The student councils in Norway are governed by a Board of Directors
which is either elected directly
or by the student council.
many secondary schools have a student council, which provides a medium for communication between the students and the school administration, a form of student welfare, and an important event-organising body. Some secondary schools name their student council like "Student Leader Board", etc.
most of the universities have a student council, regulated by law and the regulations of each university. The biggest one in Bulgaria is the Student Council of Sofia University
- http://students.uni-sofia.bg/
, Student Councils have been introduced in all Kendriya Vidyalaya
s. Many other private institutions have adopted Student Councils.
Curriculum
See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
or extra-curricular activity for student
Student
A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
s within elementary and secondary schools around the world. Present in most public and private
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
K-12
K-12
K–12 is a designation for the sum of primary and secondary education. It is used in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand where P–12 is also commonly used...
school systems across the United States, Canada and Australia these bodies are alternatively entitled student council, student government, Associated Student Body, Student Activity Council, Student Council Association or S.C.A. Student councils often serve to engage students
Student engagement
Student engagement occurs when "students make a psychological investment in learning. They try hard to learn what school offers. They take pride not simply in earning the formal indicators of success , but in understanding the material and incorporating or internalizing it in their lives." It is...
in learning about democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
and leadership
Leadership
Leadership has been described as the “process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task". Other in-depth definitions of leadership have also emerged.-Theories:...
, as originally espoused by John Dewey
John Dewey
John Dewey was an American philosopher, psychologist and educational reformer whose ideas have been influential in education and social reform. Dewey was an important early developer of the philosophy of pragmatism and one of the founders of functional psychology...
in Democracy and Education (1917).
About
The student council helps share students’ ideas, interests, and concernsStudent voice
Student voice describes the distinct perspectives and actions of young people throughout schools focused on education."Student voice is giving students the ability to influence learning to include policies, programs, contexts and principles."...
with teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
s and school principals. They often also help raise funds for school-wide activities, including social events, community projects and school reform. For example most schools do food drives, fundraisers and parties. Many members learn skills that were an extension of their formal education.
According to several schools:
"A Student Council is a representative structure for students only, through which they can become involved in the affairs of the school, working in partnership with school management, staff and parents for the benefit of the school and its students."
Function
Student councils operate in many forms. There are representative-based and modeled loosely after the U.S. Congress, or based on the Executive Branch of the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, with a President, Vice-President, secretary, treasurer, and reporter. In this form student representatives and officers are usually elected from and by the student body, although there may be prerequisites for candidacy or suffrage. In elementary schools, there are typically one or two student representatives per classroom and one presiding set of officers. However, many secondary schools have one set of officers per grade level.
An example of the structure of an elementary
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
student council may include a president, a vice president, secretary, treasurer, sergeant of legs, fundraising officer and historian. These roles may be assigned or voted on, either within the student council or by the entire student body. They may also reflect descending grade-levels, with the president in the oldest grade, and so forth. Secondary school governments often have more independence and power than younger governments. Often a student government is overseen by a sponsor, which is usually a teacher at that particular school. Most junior or middle school student councils have a constitution of some sort and usually do not have a judicial branch. Compared to elementary school councils, junior high and high school councils generally have fewer people.
In some schools, a student council representative is assigned to each class. That person passes on requests, ideas and complaints from students in that class to the student council. In other schools, the elected Class Officers
Class Officers
At educational institutions above Primary education, each grade level or year of study is a class, referenced by the year of graduation, i.e., "Class of 2011". The official activities of these groups are generally organized and controlled by Class Officers, who are elected from and by the members...
are automatically members of the student council.
Student councils usually do not have funding authority and generally must generate their operating funds through fundraisers
Fundraising
Fundraising or fund raising is the process of soliciting and gathering voluntary contributions as money or other resources, by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies...
such as car washes and bake sales. Some student councils have a budget from the school, along with responsibility for funding a variety of student activities within a school.
Regional and national structures
Student councils can join larger associations, and in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the National Association of Student Councils. In Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the Canadian Association of Student Activity Advisors coordinates the national scene, and in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
an organization called involver
Involver
Involver is a progressive house and breaks mix compilation by Sasha. Tracks which Sasha admired by other artists were chosen for this album and have each been remixed to give Sasha's own interpretation of them. It received generally favorable reviews for its track selection and creative mixing...
provides training, support and coordination for the nation's student councils
United States
- National Association of Student Councils
- California Association of Student CouncilsCalifornia Association of Student CouncilsThe California Association of Student Councils is a non-profit, student led, student run youth leadership and advocacy organization.- Overview :...
- Texas Association of Student Councils
- Oklahoma Association of Student CouncilsOklahoma Association of Student CouncilsOklahoma Association of Student Councils is an educational, not-for-profit organization whose mission is to provide educational leadership training and opportunities for students and sponsors of member schools...
- Oregon Association of Student CouncilsOregon Association of Student CouncilsThe Oregon Association of Student Councils is a non-profit organization serving middle and high school students in the U.S. state of Oregon. OASC provides leadership development to students and adult advisers.-General information:...
- Pennsylvania Association of Student Council
- Michigan Associations of Student Councils and Honor Societies*
- Northeast District Student Council
- Illinois Association of Student Councils
- Biddeford High School Student Council
- New Mexico Association of Student CouncilsNew Mexico Association of Student CouncilsNew Mexico Association of Student Councils is New Mexico's premier student leadership organization! Whose goals are to offer outstanding leadership training experiences, resources and networking opportunities for students and advisers all across the Land of Enchantment...
- Holy Redeemer High School Student Leadership CouncilHoly Redeemer High SchoolHoly Redeemer High School is a high school of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton, located in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, United States. Holy Redeemer High School is located in Luzerne County.-Holy Redeemer:...
– Joseph C. Sebastianelli served as its first Student Government President from 2008 to 2009.
Finland
Secondary high schools, lukio, and vocational schools in Finland have student councils. They incorporate all the students of the institution but their status is marginal, locally and nationally. Legislation demands that they should be heard in all matters pertaining to the education in the institution, but this is often not done.Ireland
Since 1998 in IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
there has been sustained development of student councils in post primary schools. In 2001 the Union of Secondary Students
Union of Secondary Students
The Union of Secondary Students was founded in January 2001 by Shane O'Donnell, Lorcan Fox, Graham Barry, Carly-Anne Gannon and Lyndsey O Connell. With the help of the Union of Students in Ireland, the founders set up a meeting, which took place in University College Dublin on 28 March 2001...
was founded as the National Umbrella body to organize and coordinate the national campaign efforts of the student councils. The Union of Secondary Students has a membership of 13% of post primary students in the Republic of Ireland, and the number is increasing.
Norway
All schools in NorwayNorway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
are required by law to have a student council elected by the students. The aim of student council is usually to improve their school through encouraging social, cultural and other extracurricular events in the local community. The student councils in Norway are governed by a Board of Directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
which is either elected directly
Direct election
Direct election is a term describing a system of choosing political officeholders in which the voters directly cast ballots for the person, persons or political party that they desire to see elected. The method by which the winner or winners of a direct election are chosen depends upon the...
or by the student council.
Singapore
In SingaporeSingapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
many secondary schools have a student council, which provides a medium for communication between the students and the school administration, a form of student welfare, and an important event-organising body. Some secondary schools name their student council like "Student Leader Board", etc.
Spain
Most of the universities in Spain have student councils which are regulated by law. Some of the basic points are the 24% of student representation in the board. Each university council is elected by universal suffrage of the students.Bulgaria
In BulgariaBulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
most of the universities have a student council, regulated by law and the regulations of each university. The biggest one in Bulgaria is the Student Council of Sofia University
Sofia University
The St. Clement of Ohrid University of Sofia or Sofia University is the oldest higher education institution in Bulgaria, founded on 1 October 1888...
- http://students.uni-sofia.bg/
India
In IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Student Councils have been introduced in all Kendriya Vidyalaya
Kendriya Vidyalaya
Kendriya Vidyalaya, is a system of central government schools under the Ministry of Human Resource Development ....
s. Many other private institutions have adopted Student Councils.