The Governance Lab is inviting students to apply to join the ReinventED Student Council

Engaging diverse students, families, and educators in equitable education policymaking


BROOKLYN, New York, Monday, November 23, 2020 – The Governance Lab (The GovLab) at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering has launched “ReinventED: Your Education, Your Voice” a four-phase project to use technology to engage students, families and educators in conversation about the purpose of education in a time of crisis. 

Phase 1 of the program invites young people ages 14-21 to supply to participate in the ReinventED Student Council, which will advise on, design and run the program. All students in or out of schools ages 14-21 (as of January 1, 2021) are eligible to apply by visiting youreducationyourvoice.org/phases/student-council and completing a short application, recording a brief video and signing the commitment to participate actively in the Council, if selected. Applications are due by December 10 at midnight.

“It is time we started involving the people who are most directly impacted by education policy — students themselves,” said Beth Simone Noveck, director of The GovLab. “We are thrilled about the chance to work hand-in-hand with those representing communities whose voices often go unheard on a youth engagement project offering participants a chance to have a real influence on policy.” The ReinventED team comprises experts in online engagement, education policy and youth activism, who will mentor and guide the Council to lead this effort.

The ReinventED Student Council will be complemented by three, additional, large-scale, online public engagements in 2021:

Phase 2: “All Your Ideas,” taking place in January, will be a large-scale online engagement with thousands of students, families, and educators to understand the problems with and opportunities for education in the age of COVID, especially the challenges and opportunities of measuring growth, proficiency and knowledge.

Phase 3: “The Assembly,” in February, will be a real-time, representative focus group with up to 250 students, parents and teachers, respectively, to discuss the challenges with measuring what matters.

Phase 4: “My Skills, My Future,” in March, will be an online engagement to design solutions to the identified problems. 

The ReinventED Council may design additional forms of engagement on topics they design using popular platforms.

Historically, education policymaking has largely excluded students and families' needs and ignored systemic inequalities. ReinventED: Your Education, Your Voice aims to amplify the voices and views of students, families and educators to inform policy in ways that are equitable, effective and efficient with a particular focus on Black, Latino, and other non-dominant communities.

To learn more about the program, please visit the website: youreducationyourvoice.org.


About the New York University Tandon School of Engineering

The NYU Tandon School of Engineering dates to 1854, the founding date for both the New York University School of Civil Engineering and Architecture and the Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute. A January 2014 merger created a comprehensive school of education and research in engineering and applied sciences as part of a global university, with close connections to engineering programs at NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU Shanghai. NYU Tandon is rooted in a vibrant tradition of entrepreneurship, intellectual curiosity, and innovative solutions to humanity’s most pressing global challenges. Research at Tandon focuses on vital intersections between communications/IT, cybersecurity, and data science/AI/robotics systems and tools and critical areas of society that they influence, including emerging media, health, sustainability, and urban living. We believe diversity is integral to excellence, and are creating a vibrant, inclusive, and equitable environment for all of our students, faculty and staff. For more information, visit engineering.nyu.edu.