PEC is entering its second year of going nationwide and plans to bring on eight more teams that will participate in a series of virtual webinars and one in-person workshop in July. Meanwhile, PEC teams from past years will be a part of a community of practice (CoP) with each other to continue learning from each other and creating professional development opportunities about equity-centered climate change education.

PEC launched a nationwide pilot consisting of seven teams from national park sites all across the country, all focused on developing professional development around equity-centered climate change education. National pilot teams consisting of at least one park staff member, a local teacher, and a community partner attended six virtual webinars and two in-person workshops. Learn more about our national pilot here, and learn about the current PEC teams here. 

With the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, PEC successfully pivoted to virtual work and continued to connect with park staff and educators through webinars, workshops, and online gatherings. In addition, PEC helped site teams navigate how to adjust their offerings to be virtual. 

By 2019, PEC grew to include over a dozen teams from around the Northeast and evolved into a Community of Learning, Inquiry and Practice. 

The National Park Service’s Region 1 (formerly the Northeast Region), Shelburne Farms, and the National Park Service’s Stewardship Institute (formerly the Conservation Study Institute) worked with teachers, park staff and community educators from six different sites, creating the Park for Every Classroom collaboration.