Australian Framework for Student Empowerment
About this Project
The Australian Framework for Student Empowerment (AFSE) is a national initiative designed to strengthen student voice, agency, advocacy, and partnerships in schools. It is built on a simple but powerful idea: students are not just learners, they are co-creators of their educational experience.
The AFSE offers guiding principles and practical strategies that help educators, school leaders, and policymakers embed meaningful student participation in all aspects of school life. It’s not a one-size-fits-all model, but a flexible, reflective tool that can be adapted to suit diverse school communities.
But why does this framework matter?
Education isn’t just about what students learn, it’s about who has the power to shape that learning. Too often, school systems limit student participation through outdated structures or top-down decision-making.
The AFSE challenges that norm by recognising students as active contributors. It encourages schools to move beyond tokenistic inclusion and toward genuine power-sharing. Through this shift, we can create more inclusive, responsive, and equitable learning environments.
How It Works: A Framework, Not a Formula
The AFSE is not a checklist. It is a thinking tool, provocative, reflective, and flexible. It helps schools and systems:
Identify where student empowerment is already happening
Recognise where barriers still exist
Begin or deepen conversations about power, inclusion, and change
The framework encourages schools to engage with complexity, acknowledging that education systems operate within constraints like policies, funding, and politics. But within these constraints, there’s still room to grow, adapt, and listen.
Scope & Application
Education is not just about what students learn, it is about who has the power to shape that learning. The Australian Framework for Student Empowerment (AFSE) is built on the understanding that students are not passive recipients of education but active participants in shaping their learning and school communities.
Across Australia, schools are expected to prepare students for an increasingly complex world. Yet, too often, the very structures that shape their education limit their ability to contribute meaningfully. AFSE offers a way to think about student empowerment as a spectrum, one that acknowledges the constraints of existing systems while creating pathways for genuine student agency. It recognises that empowerment is not a binary concept but exists at different levels, ranging from tokenistic inclusion to full partnership in decision-making.
This framework is designed first and foremost for primary and secondary school students in Australia. While its focus is on students in school-based settings, the principles outlined here are broadly applicable across different educational contexts. Whether in formal classrooms, student representative councils, co-curricular programs, or broader community initiatives, the concepts of voice, agency, advocacy, and partnership remain central.
Importantly, AFSE does not prescribe a one-size-fits-all approach. Schools operate within diverse policy environments, leadership structures, and community expectations. Rather than dictating rigid solutions, this framework provides provocations, invitations for students, educators, and school leaders to critically reflect on power, decision-making, and participation in their own contexts.
The Complexity of Power
Discussions of student empowerment cannot take place without acknowledging the complex reality of power in schools and education systems. Power in education is layered and often unbalanced, between students and teachers, teachers and school leaders, schools and the system. While we advocate for greater student influence, we also recognise that these power structures are deeply embedded and cannot be ignored.
At every level, decisions are shaped by constraints, whether they be curriculum mandates, policy directives, funding limitations, or political considerations. AFSE does not seek to dismantle these realities but to illuminate them. By doing so, it enables more honest and productive discussions about the possibilities and limits of student empowerment within the system we exist in today.
Aspirations, Minimum Standards, and Student Rights
A fundamental challenge in student empowerment is the gap between aspiration and reality. Many schools claim to support student voice, yet in practice, students may have little influence over decisions that affect them. AFSE sets out both aspirations and minimum standards, ensuring that student empowerment is not just an ideal but an expectation.
These expectations are grounded in international human rights commitments, particularly Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which states that every child has the right to express their views and to have those views taken seriously in decisions affecting them. This principle is not just about consultation, it is about shifting the way schools operate so that students are genuinely recognised as partners in their education.
A Tool for Reflection, Not a Blueprint
We understand that the education system is complex, and that while large-scale transformation of the education system takes time, meaningful change is still possible within the current structures. The Australian Framework for Student Empowerment is not a rigid blueprint but a reflective tool, designed to challenge assumptions, shift mindsets, and spark meaningful conversations about how schools can share power with students.
This framework does not claim to have all the answers. Instead, it invites all stakeholders, students, educators, policymakers, and the broader community, to engage in critical, context-driven discussions about what empowerment means in practice. Through this, we can move toward an education system where students are not just heard but where their voices shape decisions, their agency is respected, and their advocacy is valued.
True student empowerment requires more than good intentions, it demands a commitment to ongoing reflection, dialogue, and action. The AFSE is an invitation to start and sustain these conversations, ensuring that every student in Australia has the opportunity to be a genuine partner in their education.
Consultations
The development of the AFSE has been guided by a collaborative, evidence-informed approach, ensuring that it reflects the needs and experiences of students and educators across Australia. Through multiple rounds of consultation, we have gathered insights from a diverse range of voices to shape a framework that is both practical and impactful.
AFSE has been developed through an extensive consultation process, engaging:
Students to understand their experiences, aspirations, and the barriers they face in having a genuine voice in education.
Educators and school leaders to explore what works, where challenges lie, and how schools can create conditions for meaningful student empowerment.
Researchers and policymakers to ensure the framework aligns with best practices and supports systemic change.
Community and industry representatives to consider how student empowerment connects with broader societal and workforce opportunities.
Our consultations have highlighted several key themes.
A strong demand for guidance: Schools and educators are seeking clear, practical strategies for embedding student empowerment into everyday practice.
Existing strengths and opportunities: Many schools and communities already demonstrate strong commitment to student voice, but need better systemic support.
Structural barriers: Despite good intentions, many education settings struggle with restrictive policies, assumptions about student capability, and a lack of resources for sustained student-led initiatives.
The importance of context: Empowerment looks different across settings, and a flexible, adaptable approach is needed to ensure all students can meaningfully participate.
We continue to refine the framework based on feedback and targeted consultations, particularly with young people. By centering student experiences and working collaboratively with stakeholders, AFSE will provide a foundation for sustainable, meaningful change in Australian education.
Project Governance
The Steering Committee brings together diverse perspectives from across Australia, ensuring the framework is shaped by those with deep experience in student empowerment, education, and policy.
This committee plays a critical role in guiding AFSE’s development, ensuring it reflects best practice, lived experience, and sector-wide needs. Members include students, educators, researchers, and representatives from key educational organisations.
AFSE Launch
The Australian Framework for Student Empowerment will officially launch at SVC 2025, bringing together students, educators, and stakeholders to celebrate this milestone and explore how AFSE can drive real change in education.