We believe the seeds of greatness are already here in Northeast Ohio, so we spent 2025 doing our best to plant and nurture those seeds.
How do we do it? Through conversations about our shared history, so we can be clear moving forward about the community we inherited. In these fractured times, we could use more community connections.
To date, we have now worked with more than 5,000 area educators, 750 high school and college students, 400 community members, and we’re just getting started. We also acquired Cleveland Landmarks Press, a local publisher that has sold more than 175,000 books on Cleveland history.
What has it meant?
- 100% of educators said our professional development gave them immediately usable and relevant resources in their classrooms
- 90% of high school students in our programs would repeat their experience or recommend them to others.
- 88% of high school students felt more empowered to make a difference in their community as a result of our programs
- 87% of corporate employees want to learn more about Cleveland as a result of our programming
According to one educator from the First Ring Schools Collaborative, she “thoroughly enjoyed” our sessions because it was “impactful to learn about the historical issues that Cleveland has faced and analyze its influence on current challenges.”
One corporate leader said that “Teaching Cleveland brings deep experience in local history, making them the perfect partner to help us explore the connections between our organization and this wonderful city.”
From 2024 to 2025, we increased by 42% the number of high school students with whom we’ve worked, and by 17% the number of employees of area organizations. We feel like we’ve barely scratched the surface of schools, districts, educators, students, and career professionals who want to learn more about Cleveland to help them become more engaged to create a shared prosperity for everyone.
In 2026, we will continue to work with community partners to develop a love of place by expanding our corporate outreach, engaging more young people, working with area educators to develop relevant, place-based learning experiences, and leading more tours that help bring history to the present.
Clevelanders are a resilient, dynamic bunch – and they’re in the process of forging a rejuvenated, fully inclusive community informed by our past. Count us in!
