Participate Learning

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Participate Learning At Participate Learning, we believe that every student deserves a chance to reach their full potential. Together, we can create a better future for students.

Participate Learning partners with schools and districts to expand opportunities through cultural exchange, language immersion, and global education—preparing students with the skills they need to succeed in their future careers. 🌎📚🏫 That’s why we’ve been partnering with teachers, schools, and districts since 1987 to develop language proficiency and cultural competency. Are you an international teacher? Partner with us to:
•Gain international experience
•Achieve personal and professional growth
•Form life-changing connections
•Make a lasting impact on young lives
•Create a ripple effect of cultural understanding and collaboration

Are you a school or district interested in one or more of the following—college and career readiness, global education, biliteracy, and bilingualism? Partner with us to:
•Improve student outcomes
•Bring diverse perspectives to your school through cultural exchange teachers
•Build Spanish/Mandarin dual language programs that support academic achievement and bilingualism
•Prepare students for the careers of today, tomorrow, and beyond

10/12/2026

The suitcases are heading home with a few more classroom ideas—and some costumes that have earned a well-deserved rest. 🧳🎭🎃

Our first-year Ambassador Teachers gave us so much to smile about at Fall Orientation in Virginia! From breakfast catch-ups to instructional sessions and group activities, the weekend was a chance to reconnect and learn from each other. They swapped teaching strategies, talked with Participate Learning staff, and acted out moments from applying to arriving and settling in through some very relatable skits.

Those performances brought plenty of laughs and opened up conversations about adjusting to U.S. life. A few weeks or months into their five-year exchange through the Ambassador Teacher program, these educators have successes to celebrate and new situations to talk through. Culture shock can be part of that transition. Several teachers told us they were glad to know they weren’t going through those adjustments alone. 🫶

And yes, we were wowed by their creative costumes at Saturday’s party! 🎉 We said goodbye on Sunday with encouragement to keep asking questions and leaning on the people rooting for them—our staff, fellow Ambassador Teachers, and colleagues at their schools and districts.

Enjoy a few highlights from our time together in Alexandria, Virginia! 💙 Have you attended Arrival or Fall Orientation? Tell us your favorite memory or something from the event that helped you afterward.

10/12/2026

We’ve made it to Asheville, and Rocio and Danielle would love to see you at our booth! 👋

Cheryl is here with them at PANC, ready to reconnect with North Carolina partners and meet other district HR professionals. Come by Participate Learning to talk about the Ambassador Teacher program and how experienced international educators can support your schools.

And for a little extra conference fun, we’re raffling off a suitcase! 🧳🎟️

Whether you’re attending PANC or considering the possibilities from elsewhere, our blog explores what welcoming an international educator can look like—from the teaching experience and cultural perspectives they share to the guidance districts receive. ➡️ https://bit.ly/4y9EITM

10/12/2026

Welcome to the Pumpkin Hall of Fame! 🎃🏆

We’re bringing back past Ambassador Teacher Pumpkin Carving Contest entries to help you get ideas for this year’s design.

Whether you’re carving your first pumpkin or returning with a new idea, join us for a little October fun with this U.S. fall tradition. Make yours spooky, silly, festive, or globally themed. You could even gather a few friends for an afternoon of carving together!

Ambassador Teachers, ready to add your creation to the collection? Visit the Participate Learning Hub for submission instructions and send in your entry by midnight on Thursday, October 29, 2026.

10/11/2026

Can we hit replay? ⏪🫶📝🎃

Consider this your invitation to cheer for 18 school communities! 🎉Eighteen of our Global Leaders schools have earned re...
10/10/2026

Consider this your invitation to cheer for 18 school communities! 🎉

Eighteen of our Global Leaders schools have earned recognition from the NC Public Schools!

🏆 Four received Model Global Ready School—the state’s highest designation
🌎 Fourteen earned Prepared Global Ready School

Last month, we shared the new alignment between Participate Learning Global Leaders and NCDPI. Now, we get to celebrate the schools receiving these well-deserved honors!

Across subjects and grade levels, their students connect classroom lessons with real-world questions, work with others, and put ideas into action. Those experiences give communication, collaboration, and problem-solving a place in everyday learning.

Congratulations to the teachers, students, leaders, and district teams behind this milestone! You have plenty to be proud of—and we’re cheering right alongside you. 👏

Find a familiar school on the list or meet one whose classroom ideas inspire you: https://bit.ly/4y8MBZt

With classroom ideas to swap, friends to catch up with, and costumes tucked into suitcases, we’re ready for Fall Orienta...
10/09/2026

With classroom ideas to swap, friends to catch up with, and costumes tucked into suitcases, we’re ready for Fall Orientation in Virginia! 🧳🎉

These photos from past gatherings are making us even more excited to welcome our first-year Ambassador Teachers today.

A few weeks or months into their U.S. experience, there’s plenty to compare notes on. Moving abroad for five years through the Ambassador Teacher program brings exciting discoveries, along with unfamiliar routines and moments of culture shock.

This weekend gives these cultural exchange taeachers time to celebrate successes and explore questions together. Practical sessions offer classroom strategies, while conversations with Participate Learning staff and peers provide guidance on cultural adjustment and encouragement from people who understand the transition.

There’s time to get to know one another outside the meeting rooms, too—and Saturday’s celebration will give everyone a chance to have fun together, with some very creative costumes in the mix! 🎭

Recognize anyone in these pictures? Tell us your favorite memory from a previous Fall Orientation, then follow along for this year’s activities and celebration.

10/08/2026

Career-ready experiences, well-deserved recognition, and a whole lot of school pride. Hayesville Middle School, what a year! 🎉

As a new Global Leaders school, this Clay County Schools Hayesville, NC community brought global learning and career readiness together, giving students opportunities to discover their strengths, collaborate with local partners, and practice critical thinking and decision-making skills they'll use throughout their lives. 🌎

One example was a financial literacy simulation where seventh- and eighth-graders navigated careers, salaries, family responsibilities, and everyday expenses. It was part of a broader effort that included student portfolios and hands-on activities designed to prepare young people for life beyond the classroom. That commitment was also recognized with a Global Leaders Career Development Award! 🏆

There was another reason to celebrate! **Erin McCoy, Hayesville's career development coordinator and Global Leaders Committee lead, was named one of Participate Learning's 2026 Teachers of the Year.** Her contributions reflect the dedication of the educators working together to help children build confidence and put their abilities into practice.

With so many accomplishments to look back on, a little trip down memory lane felt appropriate. 📸💙

Find Hayesville's feature, along with more highlights from across the Participate Learning Network, in our 2025–26 Global Leaders Yearbook: https://bit.ly/4cegaAZ

10/08/2026

Next stop, Asheville! 🚙 Cheryl, Rocio, and Danielle are bringing their bags, their excitement, and a few questions for you. 🧳💬

They’ll be at the Crowne Plaza for the PANC Fall Conference, October 11–14, ready to reconnect with our North Carolina partners and meet some new faces.

Come by the Participate Learning booth to tell us how your Ambassador Teachers are doing, discuss opportunities for January, or begin thinking ahead to the 2027–28 school year. We’d love to catch up!

Whether you’re joining us in person or considering the program from afar, get acquainted with what welcoming an international educator can look like. Currently offered in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia, this opportunity brings experienced teachers into schools, where they help students develop career-ready skills. Our blog explores their classroom contributions and the guidance districts receive along the way: https://bit.ly/4y9EITM

We have two partners to celebrate! 🎉 Victoria Brinson and Francesca Ver Ploegh are among the 10 administrators on K-12 D...
10/07/2026

We have two partners to celebrate! 🎉 Victoria Brinson and Francesca Ver Ploegh are among the 10 administrators on K-12 Dive's 2026–27 Rising Leaders list.

Both help students understand the wider world and put classroom learning to use in their own communities. Those experiences build career-ready skills, while mentorship for educators ensures there’s guidance along the way.

🌎 Victoria Brinson | Edenton-Chowan Schools
Victoria helped launch the Student Global Ambassadors program, connecting global education with community projects that sparked food and blood drives. She also pairs beginning teachers with mentors for practical milestones, including their first parent phone calls.

🏫 Francesca Ver Ploegh | Albuquerque Public Schools
Francesca has helped expand the district’s magnet offerings from 15 to 27 programs serving more than 9,000 students. Her attention extends to the principals who oversee them, whom she has supported through coaching.

Congratulations, Victoria and Francesca! We’re proud to work with your districts through Global Leaders and glad to see your contributions recognized.

Spend a moment with their stories in K-12 Dive. ➡️ https://bit.ly/4yrdzfj

An October weekend in Asheville, surrounded by North Carolina education leaders, exploring cultural exchange and global ...
10/07/2026

An October weekend in Asheville, surrounded by North Carolina education leaders, exploring cultural exchange and global education? Count us in! 🍂

Cheryl, Rocio, and Danielle are looking forward to the PANC Fall Conference, October 11–14, at the Crowne Plaza. Stop by the Participate Learning booth to catch up, share how the school year is going, or simply say hello. 👋

We’d love to hear what your district is planning and talk about how the Ambassador Teacher program can support your schools through experienced international educators who bring new perspectives to student learning. 🌎

Those possibilities extend beyond the conference to schools and districts in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia, where we currently offer the program. Whether we’ll see you at PANC or you’re getting acquainted from afar, our blog explores how welcoming an Ambassador Teacher can shape classroom experiences—and the support that helps that partnership grow: https://bit.ly/4y9EITM

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201 Sage Road
Chapel Hill, NC
27514

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Monday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Friday 8:30am - 5:30pm

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