EAST MOLINE, Ill. (KWQC) – United Way Quad Cities is partnering with 13 area middle schools in a new initiative designed to improve academic achievement and reduce absenteeism.

The Student Voices initiative brings together 850 students to share their experiences and suggest ways to make their school environment more engaging and supportive.

“We have a lot of ideas about what needs to be done to improve schools, but we also need to really listen to the voices of children. So if we can align what they want to see happen in their schools with what we think should happen in their schools, then they can also be a force for change,” said Daniel Sheridan, vice-president. senior president of community impact, Centraide QC. .

“It’s about raising children. It’s about empowering their voices and making sure they are heard.

At Glenview Middle School in East Moline, more than 60 students gathered in small groups to further discuss the challenges they face at school.

Taylor Hambright, an 8th grader at Glenview Middle School, stressed the importance of better teacher-student communication.

“Sometimes teachers just hand you work and tell you you have to do it, but they don’t explain it. You need that one-on-one support to understand the material and do well.

Another 8th grader offered suggestions for making school more engaging, such as creating more clubs and extracurricular activities.

“A good way to motivate children to come to school is to offer more clubs,” said one student. “They could sign up for a sport or other activity that they are passionate about,” says Benjamin Moyers.

Student Voices is part of United Way Quad Cities’ ongoing efforts to combat chronic absenteeism, which affects 30 percent of the region’s middle school students. Students who miss 10% or more of the school year are at risk of falling behind academically, and this initiative aims to combat this by creating a more supportive school culture.

“To understand the overall student experience, we need to give them space to tell us what that experience is. It’s too easy to make assumptions about what’s happening in schools, and also, you know, we want to hear what’s working for them, not just what’s not working,” Sheridan said.

Students expressed gratitude for the opportunity to share their thoughts, knowing that their feedback could lead to real change.

“It’s nice to know that the people who are helping us today can talk to the administration and the principals to see what we could do to fix and what the kids would like,” Hambright said.

Karla Hawley, principal of Glenview Middle School, shared the school’s commitment to turning student feedback into action.

“We will work with smaller groups to implement the changes we can make immediately. Sometimes money comes into play, and sometimes it takes a little longer, but there are some things working with a smaller group that we’ve been able to change.

With the support of more than 150 community volunteers, Student Voices continues to collect student ideas and collaborate with educators to create lasting change.

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