What Happens When Teens Help Build a Curriculum Meant for Them?
Most curriculum teams want to create something meaningful for young people. But without hearing directly from teens, it’s easy to miss the details that determine whether something feels relevant or forgettable.
The Prohuman Foundation exists to help young people develop not just academic skills, but the character and perspective needed to navigate an increasingly complex world. Their curriculum is grounded in core values like gratitude, curiosity, courage, fairness, and humanity, and is designed to help students reflect, connect, and engage with ideas that shape who they are and how they relate to others.
The Prohuman Foundation didn't want to guess. As they began developing their new Grades 9–12 English Language Arts (ELA) curriculum that integrates Character Education and Social Emotional Learning (SEL), they wanted to understand what teens actually think and feel... That's why they partnered with In Tandem.
How In Tandem fits in
In Tandem is an all-in-one youth experience and insight platform that helps organizations recruit, engage, and learn from teens through research, testing, and innovation.
Our platform makes it simple for teams to connect with young people, capture their honest feedback, and translate what they’re hearing into smarter, faster decisions.
Because teens know we’ve created a trusted environment for them, and because there’s always value exchange built in, they share openly. Not polite answers. Not guesses about what adults want to hear, but real experiences, real reactions, and the small details adults routinely miss.
What teens surfaced and why it mattered
Working together, we gathered feedback from high school students on the Prohuman Foundation’s early Gratitude and Humanity lessons for eighth grade. The Gratitude lesson focused on three Shakespearean sonnets, while the Humanity lesson centered on classic Harlem Renaissance poetry. In both lessons, students learned and analyzed poetic structure and techniques, considered historical context, and identified the character strengths portrayed in each poem. The students’ input wasn’t abstract or theoretical; it was specific and immediately useful:
- 93% of students said the Gratitude lesson meets its learning goals, giving the team strong early validation.
- Teens pointed out that the “formal English” in the sonnets could lose 8th graders, something adults don’t always catch but teens notice instantly.
- The Humanity lesson sparked connections to current events, reinforcing that this content matters and is often missing in middle school classrooms.
- And across both lessons, students asked for more concrete examples, clearer wrap-ups, and more chances to share personal stories.
These are the kinds of insights that help teams adjust early, before things get baked in, and ultimately build something stronger.
Where the partnership goes from here
Over the next few months, Prohuman will continue using In Tandem to stay close to what teens think and feel, as they shape the 9–12 curriculum. Together, we’ll explore:
- What’s working to make reading and class activities engaging (and what isn’t)
- What kind of assignments feel the most relevant to real teens
- How AP-aligned materials land with students who’ve been through those courses
- The small usability details that influence how lessons actually get experienced
No extra setup. No research department required. Just direct, reliable input from the teens who will use the curriculum.
Why this work matters
Individual character strengths like gratitude, curiosity, grit, and compassion form the internal foundation for social harmony. The Prohuman K-12 Curriculum is purpose-built to foster these strengths, and by building alongside the people you’re designing for, you get clearer signals, fewer missteps, and more confidence in the decisions you’re making. That’s the point of In Tandem: helping teams reduce risk, build trust, and keep their work aligned with the voices that matter most.
The Prohuman Foundation’s commitment to putting teens at the center of the process is exactly the kind of leadership that makes education more effective and more meaningful. We’re excited to support the work ahead.
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