Students in Residence
Liam Goettl and Kaitlin Murdock draft the baseline frameworks, UI elements, and badging rubrics that the network refines.
LGKM
Nominations open · Winter 2026 launch
Shape the future of Arizona education.
Connecting youth perspectives directly to statewide education policy, school board decisions, and modern workforce readiness across all 15 Arizona counties.
SVN Core
4 Futures
8 Essentials
Scroll
15
Arizona counties
Full geographic representation across urban, rural, and tribal communities.
~30
Core student leaders
A selective Tier 1 working group co-creating policy alongside state superintendents.
4
Post-secondary pathways
Equal prestige for Enrollment, Employment, Enlistment & Service, and Entrepreneurship.
100%
Student-driven
Co-led by Students in Residence Liam Goettl and Kaitlin Murdock at NAU’s AIEE.
The paradigm shift
From passive feedback to real co-creation.
School 1.0 asked students for opinions after decisions were made. School 2.0 puts them at the policy table while the decisions are being drafted.
School 1.0
School 2.0
School 1.0School 2.0
What students are building
Two tools for School 2.0.
Drafted by Students in Residence, stress-tested by county representatives, refined by the statewide network.
Toolkit→
State 48 Graduate Profile Toolkit
The 4 Futures and 8 Essentials, rewritten as plain-language guiding questions students can actually use.
Explore the profileCurriculum→
Modern AI & Digital Systems
Four modules — from AI model taxonomy to vibe coding, Obsidian knowledge vaults, and agentic workflows.
Open the AI HubAbout SVN
Students as equal partners at the policy table.
The Student Voice Network is spearheaded by the Arizona Institute for Education and the Economy at Northern Arizona University. SVN bridges student lived experience with systemic educational governance — so the people most affected by policy help write it.
Governance model
A core, two tiers, one network.
Operating principle
No Blank Page
Students in Residence draft starter outlines and toolkits so every volunteer has concrete material to critique.
Tier 1 — Core Working Group
~30 reps · min. 2 per county
- —Draft State 48 toolkit guiding questions
- —Review AI policy guidelines
- —Co-create curriculum modules
- —Attend biweekly work sessions
Tier 2 — General Network
Statewide · digital platforms
- —Participate in statewide surveys
- —Pilot local toolkit modules
- —Give feedback on district policies
How work gets made
The co-creation cycle.
0104
Students in Residence
Led by students. Backed by NAU.
A team-based model representing diverse pathways — STEM and district leadership alongside military service and entrepreneurship.
LG
Founding SiRAppointed Feb 2026
Liam Goettl
Founding Student Resident & AI Lead
Red Mountain High SchoolAerospace Engineering
Designed and ran the statewide AI survey — data from hundreds of students, woven directly into AIEE’s official AI guidance for Arizona schools.
KM
Student ResidentJROTC Battalion Cmdr.
Kaitlin Murdock
Student Resident
Skyline High SchoolJROTC Battalion Commander
Founder of the Army of Torches youth leadership nonprofit and author of Weight of Duty. Translates leadership frameworks into actionable student agency.
Institutional advisory leadership
Who’s at the table.
- CGDr. Chad GestsonExecutive Director, AIEE
- AFDr. Andi FourlisSuperintendent in Residence
- LLDr. LeeAnn LindseyDirector of EdTech & Innovation
Non-traditional diversity mandate
Beyond the student council pipeline.
Recruitment explicitly targets student leaders whose paths are too often missing from policy conversations.
CTE & vocational learners
JROTC cadets
Rural students
Dual-enrolled youth
Alternative-track students
Tribal communities
State 48 Graduate Profile
4 Futures. 8 Essentials. Every Arizona graduate.
Arizona’s graduate profile defines what readiness looks like. SVN turns it into something students can act on — trackable, competency-based, and written in their own words.
The 4 Futures
The 8 Essentials
Each competency, paired with the plain-language question students ask themselves.
Drafted by the Tier 1 Working Group
Spotlight · Essential 02
Why Digital Fluency matters.
Districts adopting the profile lack a structured way to teach and measure this competency. The SVN-designed Modern AI & Digital Systems Curriculum closes that gap.
See the 4-module curriculumi.
Ethics & Responsibility
Uses digital tools and technologies ethically, responsibly, effectively, and creatively.
ii.
Adaptability
Understands and adapts to essential and emerging technologies, including AI.
iii.
Media Evaluation
Critically evaluates and discerns media messages and digital influence.
Modern AI & Digital Systems Hub
Beyond prompting tips. Full-stack digital fluency.
A student-built, interactive toolkit designed to be embedded across existing subject classes — with open frameworks, real tools, and verified micro-credentials.
4
Modules
4
Badge criteria
Four modules, one pathway.
Synthesis
Mapped to all four futures.
Every module earns its place by serving at least two post-secondary pathways.
| Module | Enrollment | Employment | Enlistment & Service | Entrepreneurship |
|---|
Swipe sideways to see all four futures →
Strategy, incentives & roadmap
From letter grades to verified competency.
SVN equips districts to move from A–F grading to competency verification — through digital portfolios, micro-credentials, and practical life skills like financial literacy, credit, and ECAP planning.
Digital portfolios
Evidence of real work replaces a single letter on a transcript.
Micro-credentials
Stackable, verifiable badges tied to the 8 Essentials.
Practical life skills
Financial literacy, credit, and ECAP built into the pathway.
What students earn
Real recognition for real work.
- 01
Official certificates of achievement
Co-issued by Northern Arizona University and AIEE.
- 02
Executive leadership mentorship
Direct engagement with superintendents, business executives, and state leaders.
- 03
Stipends & supported travel
Financial stipends and fully supported travel to regional summits and end-of-year gatherings.
Operational launch roadmap
Live by winter break.
Launch bar: working group operational in ≥10 counties
For districts
Become a pilot district.
Beta-test the SVN-designed AI Toolkit and integrate the first wave of School 2.0 competency badges in your 48GP-adopted district.
Events & key dates
Student Voice Network calendar.
Work sessions, regional summits, interview windows, and statewide gatherings — every SVN date in one place.
Month
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
TodayInterview window (Oct – Nov)
Specific event dates are being finalized. This calendar will update automatically as SVN work sessions, summits, and gatherings are scheduled.
Key dates
2026–27 launch cycle
Stay in the loop
Subscribe to add every SVN event to your own calendar as soon as it’s posted.
Add to Google Calendar
Subscribe (Apple / Outlook)
Subscribe — coming soon
Nomination portal · Fall 2026
Nominate a student representative.
For county superintendents, principals, CTE directors, and teachers. We especially want students whose paths don’t run through student council.
Interview rubric · 15-minute Teams interview
- 1
Self-motivated agency
Initiative, problem-solving drive, and eagerness to represent peers.
- 2
Pathway representation
Authentic perspective from CTE, vocational, military, rural, or alternative tracks.
- 3
Systems resilience
Maturity and constructive adaptability when tackling institutional challenges.
- 4
Collaborative empathy
Listens actively, respects regional viewpoints, works constructively in teams.
Fall 2026
Nomination window open
Oct – Nov
Virtual interviews
December
Working group launches
Nomination received.
Thank you. The Students in Residence team will reach out to schedule a 15-minute Teams interview during October–November 2026.
Never again publish guidance without student voice.
We’re seeking pilot districts to beta-test the SVN-designed AI Toolkit and integrate the first wave of School 2.0 competency badges.