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In any environment that requires attendance, there鈥檚 a significant risk of disengagement. Remove choice and you breed passivity or, worse, defiance.

Compulsory, free public education is one of America鈥檚 greatest innovations鈥攑erhaps its most egalitarian principle鈥攁nd it isn鈥檛 going anywhere. But in schools and classrooms across the country, there鈥檚 a powerful argument to provide more student choice across every grade level: to shake up inflexible social and academic schedules, reduce one-way learning, and place more responsibility firmly in the hands of students.

To some extent, the system itself鈥攚ith its bell schedules, prescribed curriculum, and testing regimens鈥攃reates the habits that are hard to break. But purpose and motivation go hand-in-hand with volition, and when there鈥檚 too much emphasis on control and compliance, notes a , it puts students in a position where they must 鈥渞elinquish all power and decision making鈥� and compels teachers to rely on power 鈥渢o control bodies and minds instead of using their autonomy to invite learning.鈥� Within the realm of literacy alone, the research on choice provides a powerful illustration: According to a , young kids who completed mandatory reading logs turned into desultory readers compared with students who logged their progress voluntarily. And another , this time of eighth graders, revealed that when students shifted from assigned reading to choice reading, there was 鈥渋ncreased reading volume, a reduction in students failing the state test, and changes in peer relationships, self-regulation, and conceptions of self.鈥�

Offering students choices鈥攎aking it a regular dynamic in the school day鈥攊sn鈥檛 a recipe for chaos. It goes almost without saying: Rules and boundaries are a necessary element in schools and classrooms, essential in many ways for keeping kids and adults safe and productive throughout the school day. But by centering choice, educators signal openness to negotiating the middle ground and offer students scaffolded opportunities to practice decision-making, explore their academic identity, and connect their learning to interests and passions. It can be a relatively small but consequential mindset shift鈥攔ather than assigning students partners, for example, you might let them choose whether to work alone or with a partner鈥攖hat, ultimately, acknowledges and respects their humanity and recognizes the fundamental importance of agency.

鈥淲ant to know how to engage students, enthuse them, and bring out their best effort?鈥� . 鈥淕ive them a voice in their decisions. In a society that barely listens to each other, listen to your students. In a system that can be a flood of top down, let your classroom be one that allows voices to trickle up.鈥�

Here are eight ways to provide children with choices across the grade levels.

Choice in the Early Grades

Give a say via voting: Even at the preschool level, choice can be a powerful motivator. 鈥淎t my school, we work to give students choices that hold some responsibility within the classroom,鈥� writes preschool teacher Oi Ling Hu, who introduces classroom voting early in the school year.

The process starts small鈥攚hich book to pick for read-aloud, for example鈥攂efore Hu moves on to bigger topics like which activities to do at the park or which route to take to walk there. The process imbues kids with 鈥渁 sense of autonomy and responsibility,鈥� she says, which serves them well as they advance into upper grade levels. 鈥淲e have seen that when children feel that they have a voice in how they learn... they do their best to practice self-control and self-regulation as they want to retain their ability to choose.鈥�

Prioritize choice time: In spite of competing curricular demands, kindergarten teacher Jessica Arrow follows 聽by prioritizing a 30-minute choice time within her literacy block each morning and a 45-minute choice time to wrap up the day. During choice time, students visit thoughtfully designed centers鈥攁 math center, a book nook, a sensory table, for example鈥攖o play and learn in unstructured ways that are aligned with the curriculum. It鈥檚 a favorite time of day for her kindergarten students, who get to exercise some degree of choice and independence in a day that鈥檚 otherwise dominated by 鈥渢eacher-directed activities and transitions,鈥� Arrow writes.

Build ownership with class jobs: When Justine Bruy猫re reflected on why her second-grade students felt little ownership over their assigned class jobs, she decided to try handing over some responsibility to them. 鈥淭o foster autonomy, I could relinquish some control of the job chart鈥攎y students could identify needs in the classroom and take on roles of responsibility to address those needs,鈥� writes Bruy猫re. With Bruy猫re鈥檚 guidance, the class brainstormed a new list of jobs and prioritized them, and then students applied to their favorites and Bruy猫re made the final matches. The process was hugely popular, garnered buy-in from kids, and gave them a better understanding of what it takes to run the classroom.

Choice in Middle and High School

Consider flexible seating: Middle school English teacher Laura Bradley was already experimenting with flexible seating when her district decided to invest in additional resources like chairs on wheels and wobble stools. Bradley soon discovered that choice was more crucial than new furniture: Some students worked perfectly well standing at bookshelves; others preferred carpet squares, kneeling or sitting at low tables, or folding into nooks created with bookshelves or tables pulled up to a wall.

What鈥檚 important, she says鈥攁gain, sounding a note about the balance between autonomy and authority鈥攊s to be clear about expectations with respect to how students set up, work, and clean up when they鈥檙e done. 鈥淚 can say that the benefits far outweigh any management issues that arise,鈥� Bradley writes. 鈥淪tudents respond positively to the freedom and responsibility they are given, and they work hard to keep those privileges.鈥�

Cocreate classroom norms: In Bobby Shaddox鈥檚 seventh-grade social studies class, shared classroom norms鈥攁 set of about 10 attributes, like communicative, focused, and serene鈥攊s developed by the group at the beginning of the year to guide their behavior and learning.

鈥淏y having children themselves create the norms, you are creating a pathway toward belonging for every single child in that class, and they have a role in this learning community that they had a share in building,鈥� says Pamela Cantor, MD, founder and senior science adviser of Turnaround for Children, emphasizing the importance of academic identity. It鈥檚 both a compelling civics lesson and a practice that can have a big impact on classroom management, says Shaddox: 鈥淭he classes that go really well are the classes when I start off reflecting on the norms and using those norms to articulate how our class will run well.鈥�

Make academic choices meaningful: Education researcher and author Robert J. Marzano suggests narrowing academic choice down to focus on three key areas: choice in the tasks that students perform, choice in assessment, and choice in learning goals. 鈥淐hoice in the classroom has been linked to increases in student effort, task performance, and subsequent learning,鈥� . 鈥淗owever, to reap these benefits, a teacher should create choices that are robust enough for students to feel that their decision has an impact on their learning.鈥�

For example, while an oral or written report is often the assigned format, students might instead have the option to use their mobile device to record video or audio reports. Or consider opening up assessment options to include different types of graded products鈥攂uilding models, drawing diagrams, or creating flowcharts鈥攕o that all kids, including those who are spatially gifted, have an opportunity to shine.

Upend assigned reading: After years of teaching a set list of novels with study guides, close readings, and a big test at the end, AP literature teacher Brian Sztabnik polled his students to examine what was working and where to improve. The results were eye-opening. 鈥淢any had not read a novel cover to cover in their three years of high school.鈥� Many gave up on reading long ago,鈥� Sztabnik writes. 鈥淥ften, when students have no agency over what they read, they stop enjoying it. And this ultimately kills their motivation.鈥� After examining the research, Sztabnik upended his approach and gave his students much more reading choice and responsibility. 鈥淢y students鈥� scores on standardized tests soared,鈥� he writes.

For all students, and students of color in particular, regular access to a rich, diverse selection of reading materials is particularly important, says Kimberly Parker, a former high school English teacher and cofounder of #DisruptTexts. 鈥淥ften, black youth, especially those regarded as in need of remediation, have the least amount of choice in text selection,鈥� . 鈥淭hey are given regimented reading instruction, an abundance of standardized test preparation, and little, if any, time to read works that resonate with them. We know, however, that choice drives reading engagement, and black youth need to be able to choose what they want to read.鈥�

Offer recess, even in high school: Unstructured time for play is crucial at all ages. At Montpelier High School in Vermont, there鈥檚 a daily 15-minute recess period during which everyone is expected to unplug from the school day and engage in a completely different and renewing activity of their choice. Students and faculty come up with the activities鈥攐ptions might include open gym, chess, free art, music jam, or rock climbing, for example鈥攁nd everyone gets to pick what they鈥檇 like to do. 鈥淲e really make a point to say, 鈥榊ou have permission and you need to stop what you鈥檙e doing and do something totally different, something that鈥檚 mindful, challenging, something that creates community, something that creates generosity,鈥欌�� says special educator Bill Laidlaw. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very powerful.鈥�