Free partnership · All year
We help student leaders succeed
Doorstop Education is a nonprofit that helps students improve their schools. We partner with ASBs, student governments, youth advisory boards, and junior boards for free, all year. You choose what to fix, and we help you get it done.
Who this is for
Any group of students that represents their peers.
ASBs and student governments
Officers, class councils, and leadership classes. The program was built around you.
Youth advisory boards
District and school boards that make recommendations and want to see them adopted.
Junior boards and student trustees
Students who sit on a school or district board, with or without a vote.
Clubs working on schoolwide issues
Green teams, equity teams, mental health clubs, site councils, and similar groups.
Many student leaders run on a promise to fix something, then spend the year on dances and spirit week because no one showed them how change happens at school. We show you how. Need a place to start? Here are student council ideas that actually change your school.
What we help with
Use as much or as little of this as you need.
A step-by-step plan for your issue
Policy, curriculum, facilities, school lunch, sustainability: students pick the problem, and we help you work out a step-by-step solution. Every plan draws on Doorstops, our free research-based guides.
Example: turning "the bathrooms are gross" into a repair request on the facilities agenda.
Finding the money
Most projects stall on funding that already exists. We help you read your school and ASB budgets, spot money that isn’t being used, and apply for grants your project qualifies for.
Example: a sustainability grant that covers what you were going to hold a bake sale for.
Designing surveys and campaigns
We help you write surveys that show what students actually think, turn the results into a clear case for administrators, and build a campaign that gets people behind the change.
Example: 400 survey responses that settle the question in one board meeting.
Doorstops for helping peers
Student leaders get asked for help with more than policy: fights between friends, a teacher who seems unfair, a classmate who is struggling. We give your officers Doorstops for these situations, so they know how to help and when to bring in an adult.
Example: helping a classmate prepare for a stressful conversation with a teacher.
How a year works
We fit into the meetings you already hold.
We come to a meeting
In person or online, during a meeting you already have. We mostly listen.
You list what needs fixing
We help the group sort its concerns by how much they matter and what can be resolved this year.
We make a plan together
Pick one or two projects and map out who decides, how to fund it, and what evidence you need.
We help you see it through
Drafting surveys, preparing presentations, reading budgets, writing emails. We are available between meetings, too.
You pass it on
Before the year ends, we help you write down what worked so next year’s group can build on it.
Already done
So far, student groups have…
Gotten approval for a schoolwide day off for new holidays
Funded bathroom repairs
Changed toxic culture around not eating during lunch
Each of these started as a complaint that students decided to take seriously.
Cost and commitment
Free to public and charter schools
No fees or contracts.
No application
An officer or adviser emails us, and we set up a time to visit.
As long as you want
One meeting, one project, or the whole year. You can stop any time.
Your adviser stays in charge
We work with your school, not around it.
FAQ
For officers, advisers, and administrators.
What does it cost?
Nothing for public and charter schools. We are a donor-funded nonprofit.
How much time does it take?
We work within the meetings you already have. Officers leading a project can put in as much time between meetings as they like.
Do you choose our projects?
No, students do. If something is unlikely to happen this year, we will say so and help you find a version that can.
Can we start mid-year?
Yes. Groups join in the fall, winter, and spring.
Who will students be working with?
Named Doorstop Education staff and volunteers trained in social-emotional learning, active listening, and youth psychology.
Reporting a concern. Rhea Prem is our Trust and Safety liaison. Students, parents, and school staff can reach her at report@fix.school about anything that felt wrong, or send it anonymously without giving a name at all. You do not need to be sure.
Get in touch
Want us at your next meeting?
Officers and advisers can email us any time. No application, no cost, and you don’t need a plan yet. Tell us what your students keep bringing up and we’ll figure out where to start.
Or reach us directly at ben@fix.school