A Trail to Every Classroom

A place-based professional development workshop series connecting communities along the Appalachian Trail to promote resource stewardship, recreation, and community engagement.

A Trail to Every Classroom (TTEC) is a three-season, multi-disciplinary professional development series for educators aimed at providing the inspiration, knowledge and skills to transform classroom teaching into effective and exciting place-based education.

Teachers who participate in TTEC develop their own curriculum that increases student literacy skills and fosters student understanding of, and appreciation for, the public lands connected by the 2,175 miles of the Appalachian Trail. These curricula integrate hands-on study of the natural and cultural resources of communities from Georgia to Maine, addressing concepts in ecology, sense of place, recreation, volunteerism and civics.

At the heart of TTEC is the belief that students who are immersed in the interdisciplinary study of their own “place” are more eager to be involved in the stewardship of their communities and public lands. The 2002 Independent Sector report, Engaging Youth in Lifelong Service, states, “Adults who began volunteering as youth are twice as likely to give time as they grow older.” A recent report from the Corporation for National and Community Service, Youth Helping America, also suggests that volunteering is a learned social behavior.

As a teaching strategy, TTEC promotes volunteerism by linking curriculum with community service, fulfilling education goals as well as the needs of local organizations. We believe place-based education and service-learning activities will promote engagement in Trail communities, ultimately sustaining volunteer management of the Appalachian Trail.

Teacher Resources

Program Partners and Supporters   

TTEC Program Evaluation 2006

TTEC Program Evaluation 2007