UP for Learning teams are transforming professional learning by placing youth-adult partnership at the center of school growth and change. While many teams facilitate faculty engagement and community conversations as part of their work, the teams highlighted here have gone further—designing and leading powerful professional learning experiences that deepen reflection, strengthen relationships, and inspire educators to reimagine teaching and learning alongside young people.
One powerful way to engage staff in meaningful change is through ongoing collaboration during faculty meetings. Many youth-adult teams gather for retreats and then immediately turn their learning into action by designing and facilitating professional learning experiences for educators the very same day.
At Williamstown MS/HS, the Restorative Practices (RP) Team has led five professional learning sessions for the full staff following each retreat. This ongoing cycle of collaboration has created opportunities for youth and adults to co-design strategies that strengthen restorative practices across the school community. The team has also facilitated three schoolwide RP lessons and is currently developing a peer mediation or justice panel model for next school year.
The Hazen Circlekeepers MS/HS RP Team has built a strong identity as a group of trained circlekeepers within their school community. After deepening their understanding of restorative practices, the team analyzed school behavioral data and shared their findings with staff during a faculty meeting. This spring, they will facilitate another staff session to gather feedback and collaboratively refine their action ideas.
The Vergennes Union HS Youth-Adult Partnership Team, a dynamic group of youth and adults has explored topics including restorative practices, shared decision-making, and student-teacher relationships. Following each of their five retreats this year, the team has designed and led professional learning experiences for staff, creating ongoing opportunities for reflection, dialogue, and partnership.
The Cabot Youth-Adult Partnership Team has organized four action-oriented working groups that collaborate with staff during faculty meetings. These groups focus on behavior and consequences, budgets and finances, course offerings, and alternative learning spaces.
Watching youth and adults work side by side on meaningful school change efforts is shared decision-making and youth-adult partnership in action.
Youth-adult teams have also facilitated districtwide in-service learning opportunities. Several UP for Learning teams have co-designed—and in some cases fully led—professional learning experiences for educators across their districts.
In the Windsor Southeast Supervisory Union, educators participated in a full-day in-service led in partnership with students from the Windsor Lighthouse Team. Youth shared climate survey data, presented their action plans, and co-facilitated activities focused on the foundations of restorative practices. Their leadership created meaningful opportunities for staff to reflect on school climate through the perspectives and experiences of students.
The Lamoille North Supervisory Union Equity Design Team and the Cambridge Elementary School Personal Power and Community Connections (P2C2) Team led in-service workshops focused on climate survey data analysis and social justice terminology. Staff members were highly engaged and deeply impressed by the quality, insight, and facilitation of the student-led workshops.
Youth-designed and youth-led professional learning creates opportunities for authentic connection, shared humanity, and meaningful collaboration across generations. These experiences also bring energy, creativity, and joy into professional learning spaces—something many educators deeply value and need.
Interested in deepening your understanding of youth-adult partnership and exploring how to integrate it into your classroom, school, or district? Join UP for Learning for a three-credit graduate course next school year. You can also explore what youth and adults can accomplish together through UP’s Self-Paced Webinar series.
