Senior champions student voices in education policy
Through his work with Students for Education, Brendan West ’25 helped pass a bill that would require each school board in the state to create a policy authorizing a nonvoting student member seat.
By Ian Dinkins, Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications
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University School of Nashville senior Brendan West has been featured in local news for his tireless work in securing the passage of a new bill that gives students a formal seat at the table when it comes to educational policy. This bill mandates that every school board in Tennessee create a policy to authorize a nonvoting student member seat, ensuring that young people will have a direct, formal voice in shaping education policies across the state.
Brendan’s advocacy for student representation began long before his senior year at USN.
"Just before my freshman year, I became aware of the significant privilege that a USN education afforded me," Brendan said. "So, I very quickly started to do some research on what public education systems in our state, our country, and other countries around the globe employ. As I discovered the pitfalls of each system, I realized that there was a common thread: students, the primary benefactors or detractors of any school, are not given a seat at the table where decisions regarding education policy are made."
Determined to change this dynamic, Brendan founded Students for Education with the goal of empowering his peers to engage in educational policy discussions. Starting with a chapter at USN, he quickly expanded SFE's reach to include more than 20 chapters across nine states and Washington, D.C. Through SFE, high school students have been encouraged to articulate their thoughts on education policy and advocate for changes that directly affect their learning experiences.
His vision for student involvement has now come to fruition with the passage of the bill, which marks a major step forward in student advocacy. The bill stipulates that every school district in Tennessee must create a policy that designates a non-voting student member to serve on its school board. This will allow students to offer their perspectives on key issues such as curriculum design, school funding, and student mental health — issues that directly impact their daily lives but have often been discussed without their input.
Brendan’s commitment to the cause has garnered widespread attention, including local news coverage, with segments featured on News Channel 2 and in the Tennessee Firefly.
"To have this bill signed into law would be an amazing reward for the dozens of students who worked so hard to get this bill passed," Brendan noted. "More than that, however, it would mark a significant shift in how our state interacts with youth opinion--by giving them the means to impact policy and moving beyond the tokenism that caused some of these problems in the first place."
As Tennessee moves forward with this policy, it serves as a reminder that when students are given the chance to be heard, the results can be transformative for schools and the entire community.
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2000 Edgehill Ave.
Nashville, TN 37212
Phone: 615-321-8000
Fax: 615-321-0889
Email: info@usn.org
River Campus
1200 County Hospital Road
Nashville, TN 37218
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University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.
University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.