Changemaker Cohort Five launches

What happens when a high school student and their educator are treated as genuine co-leaders, not for a day, not for an assignment, but for an entire year of real change work? That's the question at the center of Eagle Rock's Changemaker Cohort. And if the results from this year's Launch Week are any indication, Cohort 5 is off to a remarkable start.

Eagle Rock School and Professional Development Center kicked off its Fifth Annual Changemaker Cohort with a five-day in-person convening, February 16–20, 2026, in Estes Park, Colorado. All 11 participants submitted feedback, a 100% response rate, and rated the program a 9.7 out of 10 for likelihood to recommend. The Net Promoter Score came in at 91, placing Cohort 5 firmly in the "Excellent" tier on the standard NPS scale. Ten of eleven participants gave a perfect 10.

What the Changemaker Cohort Is

The Changemaker Cohort is a year-long, immersive program that pairs one educator and one student from the same public high school and places them inside a national learning community focused on belonging, equity, and school improvement. The model is rooted in a deceptively simple idea: that lasting change in schools requires youth and adults to lead together, not in parallel and not in hierarchy.

Teams don't arrive with a project already in hand. The first half of the year is spent digging into the problem: conducting empathy interviews, building shared understanding, and learning the Eagle Rock approach to strengths-based change. The project emerges from that process, not before it. As the program guides put it, if your idea is to "decrease phone use during the school day," the real issue area is probably belonging and community. The distinction matters; it keeps the work honest and keeps students at the center of the inquiry.

"The changemaker process can make all the difference in how we approach creating change within our own building and how to do it with integrity and fidelity." — Barbara, Cohort 5 adult

What Makes This Different

Most professional development is designed for adults, delivered to adults, and evaluated by adults. The Changemaker Cohort flips that. From day one, the student in each pair is a full participant in the workshops, the design process, and decision-making.

One of the most celebrated elements of Launch Week was Eagle Rock's modeling of Youth-Adult Partnership (YAP). Participants pointed to the Collective Leadership drum circle, student-led facilitation, and the authentic respect that Eagle Rock students demonstrated throughout every session as powerful, embodied examples of what real partnership looks like. Hart's Ladder of Youth Participation, a framework for assessing how meaningfully young people are involved in decisions, became a touchstone for the week, with teams self-assessing their pairs at a range of rungs and setting goals to grow.

"I am convinced that youth-adult partnership isn't just an ideal, it's an expectation." — Matthew, Cohort 5 adult

The program also drew on Improvement Science methodology, helping teams move from a broad issue area toward specific, measurable change goals. Participants described the process as clear and well-sequenced, though some noted the important reminder that it isn't a linear checklist, it's a living, iterative cycle. The concept of perseverance was repeatedly cited as central to what it means to be a changemaker.

"The work is hard and worthwhile!" — Matthew, Cohort 5 adult

Meet Cohort 5

Five school communities launched this year's work, each tackling a different issue area and bringing their own unique context to the cohort.

Welte Big Picture High School — Fountain, CO Issue Area: Student Attendance.  Enrollment: 84 students. Demographics: approximately 44–49% White, 30% Hispanic, 10% Black, 11% Two or more races; 25% military-connected; approximately 90% free/reduced lunch eligible. Part of the Big Picture Learning network of 140+ schools across the U.S. and 100+ internationally.

Malcolm Shabazz City High School — Madison, WI Issue Area: Student Engagement.  Enrollment: 135 students. Demographics: 57% White, 18% Hispanic, 13% Two or more races, 12% Black; 40% economically disadvantaged. Shabazz also serves a high percentage of students with special education services, students identifying on the LGBTQ+ spectrum, and students with mental health needs. Part of the Madison Metropolitan School District, serving roughly 30,000 students.

Quincy Innovation Academy Big Picture High School — Quincy, WA Issue Area: School Awareness & Visibility.  Enrollment: BPL program: 16 students; Quincy High School: 900 students. Demographics: BPL: 50% Latino, 31% Caucasian, 19% other; QHS: 88% Latino, 11% Caucasian, 1% other. Part of the Big Picture Learning network.

Mapleton Early College Prep — Thornton, CO Issue Area: Student Leadership.  Enrollment: 306 students. Demographics: 80.1% Hispanic/Latino, 13.6% White, 2.7% Asian, 1% Black, 2.2% Two or more races.

Eagle Rock School — Estes Park, CO Issue Area: Student Engagement.   Enrollment: 42 students. Demographics: 50% male, 46% female, 4% non-binary; 50%+ students of color; students from a wide range of home lives and income levels.

Together, these five teams represent the breadth of American public education: small schools and large networks, rural Washington and urban Wisconsin, majority-Latino communities and military-connected families. That range isn't incidental. It's the point. The cohort learns as much from each other as it does from Eagle Rock.

"I always find value in working with schools that are equally 'different' as us so it's great to talk about things that impact small innovative schools." — Brian, Cohort 5 adult

 

What Teams Are Doing Now

Teams left Launch Week with concrete next steps already in motion. Most are actively recruiting members for Collective Leadership Committees (CLC's), the student-staff pairs and school-community committees that will help drive their change projects at school. They're conducting empathy interviews to deepen their understanding of their issue areas, conducting asset maps of their school community to build off what's already working, reaching out to constituents to build stakeholder support, and presenting to staff to build shared ownership of the work.

The cohort also identified where they want Eagle Rock's ongoing support to be focused: scheduled coaching check-ins, additional resources on Youth-Adult Partnership, help crafting strong empathy interview questions, and guidance on facilitating their CLC's.

Beyond their specific issue areas, nearly every participant described anticipating a wider ripple effect normalizing students as decision-makers at every level of their districts, strengthening student-teacher bonds, expanding community partnerships, and inspiring new classroom structures rooted in the Eagle Rock Changemaker model.

"I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the Changemaker Cohort and to see what positive connections between all parties can do for the school environment." — Barbara, Cohort 5 adult

"I had so much fun!!! Can't wait to go again." — Jaden, Cohort 5 student

Apply for Cohort 6

Cohort 5 is underway, and applications for Cohort 6 are now open.

The Changemaker Cohort is built for public high school student–educator pairs who are ready to do serious, sustained work together. You'll need active school leadership endorsement, a committed student partner who won't be graduating before the cohort concludes, and an authentic issue improvement area, not a project you've already decided to build, but a problem you care about and are willing to dig into honestly.

What you'll get in return: two in-person convenings at Eagle Rock's campus in Estes Park with travel, lodging, and meals fully covered; a $2,000 project stipend; ongoing coaching from Eagle Rock's Professional Development Center; and a national community of schools doing the same kind of work.

If you're an educator who believes your students have more to offer than they're being asked for or a student who's ready to do something about what could be improved in your school, this is the program you've been looking for.

Learn more and apply at www.changemakercohort.org