Special Programs

The Kenan Fellows Program for Teacher Leadership leverages its network of 500 plus alumni by scaling K-12 educational innovation statewide through a variety of programs and professional learning events. Led by members of the alumni network of Kenan Fellows, regional professional development symposiums, workshops and seminars have been held across the state to help educators improve their practice, expand their networks, and maximize their toolkits.

Mountains to the Sea Scholars

Thanks to a grant from the Merck Foundation, the Kenan Fellows Program for Teacher Leadership has been able to grow and sustain its environmental education professional development programs in the Triangle. The 2022 Mountains to the Sea Scholars include 21 educators from Durham Public Schools, Wake County Public Schools, and Orange County Schools, and will spend a semester completing a series of in-person and online professional development sessions facilitated by Kenan Fellows alumni. In partnership with the US Army Corps of Engineers at Jordan Lake Dam, the Walnut Creek Wetland Center, Conserving Carolina and the NC Carolina Coastal Federation, the workshops include a series of site visits that allow the Scholars to learn first-hand from field experts on a variety of water conservation issues affecting North Carolina from wetland restoration in the mountains to aquaculture on the coast.

KFP-EPA Durham Community Cohort

The Kenan Fellows Program for Teacher Leadership along with the EPA and Durham Public Schools designed a cross-curricular professional development series on food and the environment in North Carolina. The program gave educators in Durham Public Schools a statewide perspective of environmental and agricultural issues while examining and deepening their understanding of these same issues in Durham.

Sessions addressed timely topics such as food deserts and environmental justice, and ways to develop eco-solutions for these issues in urban and rural communities. This was the first environmental education professional development program made possible by a grant from the Merck Foundation.

Regional Symposiums

Eastern NC Symposium

A one-day seminar held in Greenville focused on sessions that included science literacy, technology integration, and teacher leadership.

  • 98 Attendees
  • 14 School Districts
  • 87% of attendees surveyed said they would recommend the symposium to a colleague

Sandhills Area Symposium

Two-day seminar held in Fayetteville focused on interdisciplinary approaches to STEM education and strategies for early-career success.

  • 122 Attendees including staff & presenters
  • 12 School Districts
  • 4.5 out of 5 average rating for sessions

Western NC Citizen Science Seminar

The Science House and the Kenan Fellows Program for Teacher Leadership partnered to bring NC teachers a day of exploration and experience that allowed them to integrate Citizen Science into their curriculum. The Citizen Science activities, lessons and resources introduced in this one-day workshop complied with state standards and allowed the teachers to collect and analyze data as well as contribute to a larger scientific research project.

The goal of the workshop was to provide educators with the resources and materials that inspired and prepared them to bring the wonders of Citizen Science to students.

Education Policy Summit

Along with the Public School Forum Beginning Teacher Leadership Network (BTLN) and the Lee County Schools Beginning Teachers, the Kenan Fellows Program for Teacher Leadership delivered the two-day Education Policy Summit in Raleigh in 2018.

During the summit, educators from the Kenan Fellows alumni network, BTLN and the Lee County Beginning Teachers learned how to effectively communicate and build relationships with policymakers, navigate complex state and local education issues and advocate for policies that support teacher leadership and benefit students. 

A goal of the summit was to provide the K-12 teachers with an opportunity to learn how to strategically frame education issues and gain a deeper understanding of the complexity and the importance of including teacher voice in policy discussions.