Authentic student voice at the board table: A conversation with Jennifer Tran of the National Student Board Member Association

Abstract

Jennifer Tran, the first student board member in California’s Garden Grove Independent School District, is an advocate for authentic student participation in the governance of school districts. She successfully petitioned her school district to add a student member to the board of education. In this Kappan interview, she discusses the challenges of serving on the board as a student, how her status as a preferential voter affected her ability make change, and how the National Student Board Member Association (NSBMA) helps to advocate for and provide training to student board members.