100 Conversations That Matter: Leveraging Student Perspectives to Transform Educational Practice

This paper introduces the Student-Centered Insight Protocol (SCIP), having evolved from what was known as the “100 Student Interview Protocol,” a structured methodology for educational leaders to systematically gather, analyze, and apply student perspectives in school improvement efforts. Developed through a synthesis of design thinking principles and student-centered educational approaches, the protocol originated as an empathetic interview process, later expanded through inspiration from entrepreneurial customer discovery methods. Since its initial development in 2016, the protocol has evolved through implementation across multiple schools and districts, demonstrating its effectiveness in surfacing actionable insights from diverse student populations. By intentionally oversampling traditionally marginalized student voices, the methodology helps leaders identify blind spots and inequities that might otherwise remain hidden. This paper documents the protocol's theoretical foundations, developmental history, and practical implementation guidelines and provides the complete, most current version of the interview questions and analysis framework. The SCIP offers educational leaders a powerful tool to meaningfully incorporate student perspectives into decision-makers while helping schools build more equitable, engaging, and responsive learning environments.