Delaware strategic intentsBrandywine School District, serving over 10,000 students in Wilmington, Delaware, has transformed how it approaches student voice. What began in response to the Delaware strategic intents has evolved into a district-wide strategy where students don’t just take surveys—they also partner with educators and leaders to analyze the data and help drive meaningful change.
Challenges
- Gathering student voice began in response to the Delaware Department of Education strategic intents, building and strengthening structures that engaged students as active partners.
- Increasing participation and building trust were early priorities, as leaders worked to improve survey completion rates.
Solution
Results
- Student voice is now embedded in district strategy, with Panorama data used in student-led conferences and action planning across all participating grade bands (4-12).
- Data is driving measurable action, including targeted interventions and student-led changes to policies, programs, and school climate.
- The district’s approach to student voice has been shared at the state level, and schools across Delaware are looking to their work as a roadmap for how to move from collecting feedback to acting on it.
Challenges
Brandywine School District’s journey with student voice began in response to the Delaware Department of Education strategic intents, so early efforts focused primarily on collecting survey data. Students were completing the Panorama Student Survey, but district leaders saw an opportunity to more meaningfully involve students in understanding and acting on their results.
Additionally, district leaders sought to increase completion rates across a large student population. They wanted to ensure students felt comfortable providing honest feedback and participating meaningfully in the survey.
This led leaders at Brandywine to reimagine their approach to student voice data by making a fundamental shift: moving from doing work for students to doing work with students.
Solution
Rather than keeping Panorama Survey results for educators’ eyes only, Brandywine now shares survey data directly with students. Students have the opportunity to analyze results, discuss trends, and partner with educators to take action.
Dr. Yolanda McKinney, Director of Culture and Climate at Brandywine, explained the real insight comes from going beyond the numbers: “By talking to the kids and showing them the responses, that's when we really get the answers that we need to make changes in schools.”
This approach is supported by a consistent, student-centered cycle of engagement:
- Fall: Students set goals and build awareness around the survey.
- Winter: Students analyze Panorama data and identify priorities.
- Spring: Students reflect on progress and plan for the following year.
These cycles are anchored in student-led conferences, where students present findings, facilitate discussions, and collaborate with peers and staff to develop action plans. In these conferences, the students really run the show, Dr. McKinney explained:
“We have a group of student facilitators at each grade band, and they meet with [a team of educators] the night before to plan for the conference the next day. Then we just sit back and watch the magic happen. The adults are just supporting, watching, and modeling, but other than that, the conferences are all student-run.”
By putting survey results into students’ hands, Brandywine is also building critical life skills. Students learn how to interpret data, ask meaningful questions, and advocate for change. As Brandywine Coordinator of Equity Adrienne Stansbury noted, this work is about preparing students for what comes next: “We’re building future leaders. If we can’t give them the tools, what will they do after graduation?”
Results
How Student Voice is Driving Change
Across schools, students have used Panorama insights to shape real decisions, from rethinking cell phone policies to leading initiatives focused on belonging and wellness.
At one high school, students partnered with leaders to revisit their cell phone policy, offering input on what responsible use should look like and helping pilot new approaches. At another school, students advocated for and helped implement a “Zen Den”—a dedicated space where students can take a break and reset, supported by staff funded through a school grant. Students have also contributed to code of conduct committees, helping shape expectations and policies that directly impact their daily experience.
This ongoing, collaborative process ensures that student voice is not only heard, but acted on. Students aren’t just reacting to data. They’re using it to lead. In some schools, students present survey results at staff meetings, even at the elementary level, and design creative ways to engage their peers, including turning data into interactive activities or running schoolwide efforts to boost survey participation.
Stansbury noted the real impact of the data lies in the conversations it makes possible. “Panorama data allows us to have conversations with students we otherwise wouldn’t have, because we simply wouldn’t know. It’s been transformative, to the point where student voice is now embedded in our strategic plan.”
Seeing students not just participate, but lead—interpreting data, asking hard questions, and driving change—Stansbury put it this way: “Kids have it. It’s powerful, it’s magical.”
Building Trust and Participation
Brandywine’s approach has evolved over time, starting at the high school level before expanding to middle and elementary schools, allowing the district to refine its approach and build strong systems along the way. Today, students across grades 4–12 are engaged in this work.
The district is also deeply committed to transparency and continuous improvement in how surveys are administered. Brandywine publishes survey questions on its website and prioritizes strong school-family communication, ensuring families understand both the purpose of the survey and how results are used. Schools have worked closely with counselors and staff to identify the best times to administer surveys, creating grade-band-specific survey windows and adjusting timing based on what works best for students.
This thoughtful approach has led to high survey participation rates and exceptionally low family opt-outs. Students and families are more willing to participate because they see their feedback being used: when they know adults are listening and acting, engagement increases. District leaders have also created additional incentives and supports to increase participation, from school-based campaigns to recognition for strong completion rates.
And by comparing student survey results with staff perceptions, Brandywine has surfaced important gaps and addressed them through honest conversations. In some cases, schools have gone deeper by identifying groups of students with lower responses and organizing targeted small group supports, aligning this work with MTSS and Tier 2 and 3 interventions.
District leaders found it helps to frame any challenging results as opportunities for improvement. “This is not an attack. It’s data. Now that you have it, what are you going to do with it? That mindset has been eye-opening for our district and has led to necessary, sometimes challenging, conversations,” Dr. McKinney said.
Expanding Impact Beyond the District
Strong leadership support has been critical to this success. Brandywine’s superintendent, Dr. Lisa A. Lawson, has consistently championed the importance of hearing from all students, attending student voice conferences, and encouraging schools to prioritize participation and engagement. That level of support has made it possible to push the work forward, even when it’s challenging. As Dr. McKinney noted, “It’s imperative to have strong support from your superintendent. We wouldn’t be able to do this work without it, especially when it comes to having tough conversations.”
The impact of this work has extended well beyond Brandywine. Stansbury shared, “We’ve presented at the state level, and people have come to conferences to see how we do this work. It’s been transformative, not just for our district, but also across the state as other districts look to this as a model.”
The district’s approach is not only improving school experiences today. It’s preparing students for life beyond graduation. By engaging directly with survey data, students are building skills in data literacy, critical thinking, and advocacy. They learn how to sit at the table with decision-makers, bring forward evidence-based ideas, and collaborate on solutions.
The result is a generation of students who not only feel heard, but who are also equipped to lead.
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