Kent School District students and staff present Inclusive Spaces photo‑voice project and dashboard

Rachel Waldrop, a data analyst on the Kent School District research and evaluation team, told the board the Inclusive Spaces priority initiative used a photo‑voice project and an evidence‑based framework to guide work on physical environments that support social‑emotional learning.

“The nature of visual communication really opened up participation across ages and grade levels,” Waldrop said, describing how students and staff used disposable cameras and note cards to identify spaces they found inclusive and spaces they did not.

The district analyzed returned photos in a dashboard that allowed the team to detect patterns and select schools for follow‑up site visits, Quintera Middleton, a school psychologist at River Ridge Elementary, said. Middleton said the dashboard showed adults rarely labeled spaces “not inclusive,” while students did; it also showed elementary respondents tended to highlight social spaces more than secondary respondents.

“We saw trends in the photo takers and the types of inclusivity that came up,” Middleton said. That prompted site visits at both participating and nonparticipating schools to ensure student voices were represented, the team said.

River Ridge students who serve on their student council described specific spaces they consider inclusive: wide entrance walkways with student artwork, hallways with displays and monitors showing school announcements, flexible “flex” areas by windows used for small groups and socializing, the library with creative seating and multicultural books, and the outdoor play field. Several students described classrooms with calming lighting and visible student work as spaces that support learning and belonging.

“We put cognitive and socials. They are open spaces by the windows in our hallways where we can work and socialize,” River Ridge student council members said during the presentation. They also noted the gym and cafeteria can be loud or crowded and described those as less inclusive for some students.

Farrah St. Jarna, a multilingual education teacher at River Ridge, said the project changed staff perspectives about how students actually use and experience spaces. She said the student voices informed the resource guide the committee is developing.

The committee framed its work on the “enriched environments for social emotional learning” framework, which calls out sensory, cognitive, motor, social, emotional and critical thinking domains. The team said their product will be a guidance resource and a dashboard that helps schools identify and replicate inclusive features. The district plans to share the meeting deck with board members after the presentation.

Superintendent Bellett thanked the students and parents for participating and said the board had adopted strategic plan goals that include student voice and inclusive spaces, which is why the group was presenting this work.

Board members asked students and staff how flex spaces are used, how new teachers can be supported to create welcoming classrooms, and whether signage or building lighting contribute to inclusion. Presenters described several practical steps under consideration: a district Teams channel or staff site to share photos and resources, borrowing and sharing of materials such as butcher paper for door‑decorating, and the inclusion of examples in new‑hire orientation materials so teachers can see replicable ideas.

The presentation closed with the board and students taking a group photo and an acknowledgement from the superintendent that the project aligns with the board’s strategic goals on student voice and inclusive spaces.