Youth Advocacy Board
Youth Advocacy Board
Center for Measurement Justice
Who we are
The Center for Measurement Justice works to make assessment and measurement fairer, more transparent, and more accountable to the people they affect. Tests, scores, ratings, and rankings shape who gets into programs, who is labeled, and who is left out — and too often those decisions are made about young people without young people at the table.
The Youth Advocacy Board (“the Board”) puts youth at the center of that work. It is a paid, national body of young people who study, question, and advocate for justice in how learning, ability, and worth get measured. Members bring their lived experience of being tested, sorted, and scored, and turn it into research, storytelling, and advocacy that pushes the field toward fairness.
What the Board does
- Advises. Reviews and shapes the Center’s work, tools, and public positions from a youth perspective.
- Investigates. Examines real assessments and measurement practices to surface who they include, exclude, or mismeasure.
- Advocates. Develops campaigns, testimony, and creative projects that push for concrete change in schools, systems, and policy.
- Creates. Produces youth-authored materials — stories, guides, art, and recommendations — that inform educators, families, and decision-makers.
Who can join
The Board is open to young people ages 16 to 24 who are in high school, college, or vocational school, or who are not currently enrolled in school. No prior experience with testing policy or research is required — curiosity, lived experience, and a commitment to justice matter most. The Board is fully remote and national; members participate from anywhere in the United States.
The Center actively seeks members who reflect the diversity of young people most affected by measurement injustice, across race, disability, language, geography, income, gender identity, and educational path.
Commitment & support
- Time. Members engage roughly 10–20 hours per month, including meetings, project work, and occasional events.
- Term. Members serve a one-year term, renewable once by mutual agreement.
- Honorarium. Members receive a small honorarium ($100/month) in recognition of their time and expertise.
- Growth. Members build skills in research, advocacy, public speaking, and leadership, and join a national network of peers and mentors.