North Carolina Educators and Schools Can Earn State Recognition Through Participate Learning’s Global Leaders Programs

New alignment with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction recognizes the work educators and schools are doing with Participate Learning and provides a streamlined path to state Global Educator and Global Ready recognition.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — September 17, 2026 — Participate Learning is pleased to announce a new alignment with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) that provides educators participating in its Global Leaders programs with a direct pathway to NCDPI’s North Carolina Global Educator Digital Badge. The alignment also connects Participate Learning’s Global Leaders whole-school designations with NCDPI’s Global Ready Schools designations.

Under the newly approved alignment, educators can earn NCDPI’s North Carolina Global Educator Digital Badge through professional learning they are already completing with Participate Learning. Teachers at schools participating in Participate Learning’s Global Leaders whole-school program can earn the badge through professional development included in the program, while educators participating in Participate Learning’s Global Leaders Teacher Fellowship (GLTF) can earn it through fellowship modules. No additional NCDPI requirements are required to receive the badge. The approval also applies to eligible educators who completed the aligned professional learning during the previous school year.

The alignment also allows schools in Participate Learning’s Global Leaders whole-school program to earn corresponding NCDPI Global Ready Schools designations:

• Schools earning Participate Learning’s Accomplished designation will automatically earn NCDPI’s Prepared Global Ready School designation.
• Schools earning Participate Learning’s Showcase designation will automatically earn NCDPI’s Model Global Ready School designation.

“This is an exciting step for the educators and schools in our Global Leaders network,” said David Young, CEO of Participate Learning. “Every day, they are helping students connect what they learn in school to real people, places, and challenges, understand perspectives beyond their own, and take action on issues in their communities and around the world. That’s global education at its best: students seeing that what they learn matters and that they can do something meaningful with it. We’re proud to see North Carolina recognize the educators and schools making that possible.”

Participate Learning’s Global Leaders programs help schools and individual educators make global learning part of students’ everyday academic experiences through professional learning, coaching, and action-driven learning.

“We’re pleased to recognize the strong alignment between Participate Learning’s Global Leaders programs and North Carolina’s global education recognitions,” said Kelly Schultz, Standards Implementation Specialist and Global Education Lead at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. “This partnership creates a more seamless pathway for educators and schools to receive state recognition for the meaningful work they are already doing to build global competence and prepare students to engage with the world around them.”

“I’m thrilled for our Global Leaders educators and schools to receive state recognition for all of the amazing work they’re already doing,” said Lindsey Harrison, Associate Director of Global Leaders at Participate Learning. “They create global learning experiences that prepare students to make a positive impact on the world, both today and in the future. It’s exciting to see the impact of that work celebrated at the state level.”

Additional Information

For more information about North Carolina’s global education recognitions and eligibility requirements, see NCDPI’s Global Educator Digital Badge Guidance and Global Ready Schools Guidance.

About Participate Learning

Since 1987, Participate Learning has partnered with schools and districts to create learning experiences that connect students with the world through language immersion, cultural exchange, and global learning. Through its Global Leaders program, Participate Learning helps K–12 schools connect academic learning to real-world opportunities for students to lead, solve real problems, and make a difference in their communities.