Student-Ready Schools (Pt. 2) Blog Posts
After the development of the first Student-Ready Schools & Campuses Report, Data Fellows began work on two new research projects: one on justice-impacted students, and another on students' mental wellness. Below are the stories of those Data Fellows' experiences working on those projects.
Habibah Aldakak
Junior at Hunter College
June 2025
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Working on the continuation of the Student-Ready School project was truly an insightful experience. With the support of my team, we were able to tailor our project to address an issue we all strongly agreed on: promoting and preserving wellness. I am passionate about this topic because I have seen firsthand how it affects students’ ability to thrive, [both] academically and personally. [This] project is essential because it is not just about highlighting ways to prepare students for college or careers; it is about preparing systems to serve students equitably. My research team and I aim to share stories and narratives through our collection of data that will spread awareness of the adversities faced by minorities. We were provided with [human subjects research] training [through the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Program, and taught how to use a qualitative coding software], Dedoose, for transcribing and coding interviews. [We also learned how to design] focus groups, [which] built our competencies to be able to carry out our project independently.
Throughout this process, I have learned the power of empathy and collective power as motivations to continue our projects in an era where not a lot of systems care about the successes of their students. I am grateful for being offered the space to think freely and independently, as well as being supported through it all.
Nermen Elkallini
Junior at City College
June 2025
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For the Student-Ready Schools project, we developed an introduction that explained the purpose of our work, a methods section describing how we would gather [data], and focus group questions to guide honest conversations with students. We also did a lot of research and wrote an annotated bibliography [to inform our research], where we pulled sources that talked about student wellness, including mental health and the importance of feeling supported in school. It took time to gather, read, and summarize these sources, but doing this helped us build a strong foundation for understanding what students need to thrive.
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[Through this process,] I learned that research takes patience, teamwork, and a lot of attention to detail. I learned how to look for strong sources, pick out the most important points, and put everything together so it actually makes sense and can be useful later. I also realized that research is about asking the right questions and making sure the work is centered on what students actually care about and experience. It’s not just about facts and numbers, but it’s about understanding the real people and real stories behind the data. I learned that research can feel overwhelming at times, but it also feels meaningful when you see how it connects to something bigger, like helping make schools more supportive and focused on students’ well-being. This project taught me how to think critically, communicate clearly, and work together with others to build something that could help create positive change.
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[In addition, I] learned that I’m good at staying organized and paying attention to details, even when things feel complicated or stressful. I also learned that I enjoy collaborating with others, sharing ideas, and listening to different perspectives, which makes the work stronger and more interesting. I realized that I care deeply about making sure student voices are heard, and that I feel more confident speaking up when I know the work we’re doing could help improve things for other students in the future. This project showed me that I’m capable of doing real research, thinking critically, and contributing to something important. It also made me more determined to keep fighting for schools that listen to students, take mental health seriously, and make sure every student feels supported and seen.​
Jheyleinnies Guerrero
Senior at John Jay College
June 2025
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As a Data Fellow on the Student-Ready Schools project, I was able to use what I had learned from previous research and also learn a lot more about equitable, student-centered inquiry. This project gave me the chance to be involved in every step of the research process, from planning to execution. Over the course of a few weeks, I created various materials for the project. These included a detailed research proposal, an annotated bibliography, an interview guide, a survey, a consent form, and outreach materials like a focus group sign-up form, a flyer, and an email draft. I helped write the introduction and methodology section of our final report. In this part, I helped explain our reasoning on why we did certain steps and how we planned to focus on students who had been historically marginalized.
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Prior to [beginning] this fellowship, I had conducted research on human trafficking, foster care pipelines, and the media's portrayal of crime. This gave me a good background in both qualitative and quantitative research. But, the Student-Ready Schools project made me think more deeply about [participatory-action research] design and the right and wrong ways to [conduct research] with students, not just about them. [This] was one of the first times I could help set the tone [of a research project], and create research tools that [were designed centering] community engagement [...] Writing materials for outreach and making interview guides taught me how to find a balance between being clear [while maintaining a warm tone], as well as between being structured and being flexible, especially when working with students who might be dealing with complicated institutional barriers.
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I learned that doing meaningful research isn't just about collecting or analyzing data; it's also about listening, iterating, and building relationships. I gained a deeper understanding of the constant consideration [that justice-driven] research requires: Who are we assisting? Whose voices are getting louder? What barriers are we putting up without meaning to?
I [also] learned that I do best in research settings that let me have both strict guidelines and creative freedom. This project made me remember how powerful intentional language, culturally responsive methods, and working together can be. It also made me more determined to use research as a way to speak out. I've always known I wanted to work on issues related to structural inequality, but this experience showed me how change can start with something as simple and powerful as asking the right question in the right way. This project not only helped me strengthen my technical skills like designing surveys, making outreach plans, and writing questions, but it also made me more confident in my ability to handle complicated research projects that have real-world effects. It reminded me that my voice and the voices of other students like me are important in making schools work for everyone.
Calvin Zhou
Junior at Brooklyn Technical High School
June 2025
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Throughout this cycle, I learned a tremendous amount about research, including drafting sections of an interview guide and consent forms, creating focus group questions, completing CITI training modules, and developing an annotated bibliography. From developing these crucial documents in preparation for data collection, I learned the importance of carefully designing a research study, particularly in anticipating potential challenges when discussing sensitive topics involving students. Furthermore, [I learned that] research is deeply rooted in collaboration and revisions, and research designs may take several drafts and rounds of feedback before they can be [executed]. On a more personal level, I discovered why I enjoy doing research, as the data I collect will ultimately help the people in my community...