Student council (aka
student government group,
student union or
student body) is a
curricular or
extracurricular activity for
students within elementary and secondary schools around the world. Present in most
public and
private K-12 school systems across the United States, Canada, Australia and Asia. These bodies are alternatively entitled student council, student government, Associated Student Body, Student Activity Council, Student Council Association or S.C.A. Student councils often serve to
engage students in learning about
democracy and
leadership, as originally espoused by
John Dewey in (1917).