The Core 3 model can act as an invaluable training playbook for schools looking to strengthen adult practices around three core areas: classroom culture, academic rigor, and data use. In this model, leaders are coached through a two-year implementation journey to transform their teachers’ academic practices to strengthen students’ sense of belonging in the classroom, improve their academic outcomes and engagement, and provide more personalized learning through the use and analysis of real-time data. Core 3 occurs through replicable training modules that can be integrated into almost any learning environment.
Currently, the Core 3 model reaches about 2,800 students across two Navigator schools and nine partner schools. Navigator Learning offers coaching and implementation support for leaders seeking to improve their school’s Core 3 priorities. The model also offers regular workshops and videoconferencing to build academic leadership capacity in these three areas.
What Makes This Model Innovative?
High Expectations with Unlimited Opportunities
Rigorous Learning
Customization
Related Models
Modern Classrooms Project
Modern Classrooms Project empowers educators to meet every learner’s needs through its blended, self-paced, mastery-based instructional model.
Modern Classrooms Project
Modern Classrooms Project empowers educators with their innovative instructional model to ensure all learners are appropriately challenged and supported every day. The instructional model has three components: blended instruction, self-pacing, and mastery-based learning. Implementation of the model fosters strong learner–teacher relationships, builds critical learning strategies that underpin self-direction, increases confidence and love of learning, and increases content mastery. The model also leverages technology and is best implemented in contexts where educators have support to innovate and reimagine instruction.
Modern Classrooms Project has reached over 53,000 educators in 169 countries. In order to support implementation, they offer resource toolkits, professional development, one-on-one coaching and consulting, and cohort learning communities, to equip educators with the skills, resources, and community required to sustain and improve upon this customized instructional approach. Excellence in Classroom Innovation
Opportunity Culture Model
The Opportunity Culture staffing model organizes teachers into teams led by excellent teachers and supports pay increases within the current school budget in order to extend the reach of great instruction to more students.
Opportunity Culture Model
Public Impact’s Opportunity Culture initiative aims to provide more students with consistently excellent teaching by extending the reach of high-quality teachers. The model takes existing school staff and redistributes roles and responsibilities to leverage talent in ways that boost student learning and educator satisfaction. Multi-classroom leaders are excellent teachers who lead a team of about six teachers. With additional support and more specialized staff, teachers collaborate on instructional planning, share best practices around rigorous and personalized learning, participate in just-right professional development sessions, and engage in more small-group tutoring than in typical schools. In some variants, teachers on these teams also extend their reach and earn more. This model ensures that teachers have access to more effective learning strategies and students receive consistently high-quality instruction.
Public Impact partners with K–12 schools and districts to support the restructuring of school design and operations to make this model work. Currently implemented across more than 10 states and 50 districts nationwide, Opportunity Culture has shown to provide approximately one-half year of extra learning in reading and math.
Navi Squads
Navi Squads is a grouping model that hones students’ leadership skills and enhances their ownership over learning through student-led small-group instruction.
Navi Squads
Navigator Learning created a student grouping model that supports the development of leadership, interpersonal relationships, and collaborative problem-solving. Its mission is rooted in a belief that if students are to be successful in college, the workplace, and beyond, they need so much more than traditional, teacher-led instruction. The aim of Navi Squads is for students to master their own learning through student-centered group work. In small, structured groups, students rotate through distinct roles. Some students act as leaders and some as facilitators, and others offer operational and logistical support. Squad members learn together by navigating work that’s challenging and engaging.
Navi Squads is being piloted in three Navigator Schools in California and three partner schools. This model reaches 630 students across two states. Navigator Learning hosts learning communities and workshops dedicated to sharing learnings and improving on Navi Squads. For a more comprehensive collaboration, it also offers partnerships or consultations to those interested in implementing this or other Navigator Learning models.
Goals of the Model
Core 3 aims for teachers to build a positive classroom environment so that students feel a sense of belonging and can master content knowledge as well as support the development of leaders seeking to strengthen their schools’ culture and community.
Improve Academic Outcomes
Students are consistently engaged in rigorous learning that is more personalized, which leads to improved academic outcomes.
Strengthen School-Based Teacher Training
Teachers experience rich professional development and coaching and feel supported by their leaders.
Develop Top-Tier Academic Leaders
Leaders excel in their responsibilities to support and train their teachers.
Experience
This model prioritizes student learning through adult training focused on building a positive classroom culture, implementing personalized and rigorous instruction, and collecting and analyzing data. To achieve this, Core 3 offers coaching and training for teachers around these priorities, as well as strong leadership training for principals, assistant principals, and other school leaders in order to ensure that Core 3 is properly implemented across participating schools.
The Core 3 consists of developing classes that are rigorous, data-driven, respectful, and engaging. School leaders receive development around these priorities and turnkey training for their staff. The following elements describe the key priorities of a Core 3 classroom:
- Building a Positive Classroom Culture: Teachers training under Core 3 first internalize what a positive classroom culture entails, set a vision for their classroom community, and fill their “teacher toolbox” with new strategies that promote consistency through routines, respect, and engagement. Core 3 encourages teachers to do what best fits their students and leverage these strategies as often or as little as needed. Teachers are trained to use Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS). Tight Transitions Tight Transitions One-Pager Culture of Error Culture of Error One-Pager
- Implementing Personalized and Rigorous Instruction: Core 3 ensures teachers are deeply prepared for every lesson, student misconceptions, and questions by training teachers on high-leverage intellectual preparation strategies. Teachers are coached to first deeply know and internalize the lesson’s content and the ways it aligns around a sequence, and plan for misconceptions by creating exemplars. Students participate in small-group work that is differentiated by their learning needs, as well as receive in-class and after-school interventions. Many lessons and activities utilize blended learning techniques. Targeted Questions Habits of Discussion Habits of Discussion One-Pager
- Collecting and Using Data: Core 3 supports teachers in learning exactly what each of their students has and has not mastered. This can only be achieved through a constant and repeated cycle of action that is deeply informed by real-time data or routine data analysis. These practices range from in-the-moment interventions to planning monthly post-assessment analysis lessons to review highest-leverage exam questions. Teachers meet with students to set goals and check their progress on them.
Many of these strategies are inspired by and adapted from those found in Teach Like a Champion.
Navigator Schools believes that the primary job of a school leader is to develop their staff in areas of culture, personalized and rigorous instruction, and data. The Core 3 elements described above are strategically broken up into training modules that can be integrated into most professional development sessions and serve most student populations.
Coaching the Core 3 consists of integrating these modules with a deep understanding of the school community and culture and being responsive to your staff’s needs. There are several coaching methods prioritized in this model, and each one serves a unique purpose:
- Weekly Walkthroughs
- Live Coaching
- Conducting Observations & Providing Feedback
- Staff Huddles
- Coaching Around Intellectual Prep
- Coaching Around Data Analysis
This model also ensures that coaching the Core 3 is paired with frequent and purposeful professional development for its participating leaders. In the two-year implementation process, Navigator Learning hosts various Leadership workshops dedicated to:
- Developing individuals to work as a team
- Defining and understanding strong leadership
- Developing a positive adult culture
- Running productive and purposeful meetings
5 Levels of Leadership The Ideal Team Player Coaching Mindset Professional Development
Supporting Structures
The Core 3 model can be adapted to almost any learning environment that seeks to increase rigor and personalization for students. Below are a few supporting structure specifications that should help you begin thinking about how to implement this model in your context.
Core 3 requires that curricula align to rigorous learning objectives and that instruction offers opportunities for personalization and is driven by data.
Core 3 teachers receive training around properly understanding Common Core learning objectives and aligning their curriculum from other sources to rigorous standards. Intellectual Prep, Part 1: Unpacking Common Core Standards
Instruction under Core 3 is personalized and rigorous. Students are encouraged to do the “heavy lifting” by leading discussions and answering questions that encourage productive struggle. Students are taught how to show their work, chunk their learning, and develop habits around discussion and writing. Read about a few of their instructional methods for ELA, math, and writing. CASE One-Pager RACE Action Step One-Pager Everybody Writes One-Pager
Teachers must also gather student progress data every day and from various inputs. For example, exit tickets show students’ understanding of specific content over the course of the day, checks for understanding inform in-the-moment mastery, and spiral reviews track of students’ longer-term standards and skills.
Staff must train and learn together to feel like they are a part of a larger community while also developing a positive culture in their own classrooms.
Teachers also benefit from feeling like a part of a larger community. Under Core 3, school leaders implement a “staff huddle” daily that builds community among staff. During these community meetings, school staff receive authentic shout-outs for their excellence, important announcements for the day, and bite-size development sessions to improve instructional and cultural practices. Morning Huddle Staff Huddle Checklist
Core 3 believes that taking the time at the beginning of the year to build strong classroom culture—including clear expectations for classroom routines, mutual respect, and student engagement—will ultimately save instructional time and create a stronger sense of belonging for students.
Schools must ensure that school leaders and instructional coaches receive training and can develop their teachers on each Core 3 element.
As part of leadership development and coaching, Navigator coaches support school leaders in developing their Core 3 skills through regular workshops and videoconferencing. Most schools spend two years building Core 3 capacity in the leadership team and managing change at the classroom level. By the end of coaching, school leaders will be empowered to support their staff with similar weekly professional development and coaching to build a top-tier team of educators. Classroom Walkthrough One-Pager Observation & Feedback Meeting: Implementation Checklist Live Coaching Modeling
Core 3 provides school leader training to coach their teachers around the Core 3 elements and priorities, especially around intellectual preparation and data analysis. Intellectual Prep PD Daily Data Analysis Meeting Post-Assessment Analysis Form
Core 3 training can be adapted into many learning environments and schedules, but requires dedicated and protected time for teacher and leader professional development, coaching, and data analysis.
Teachers and leaders must have dedicated time in the day to plan instruction and review and analyze student data. Teachers spend between thirty minutes to one hour a week on data meetings led by academic coaches. Whole-staff professional development session topics vary based on needs, but teachers often spend a dedicated one hour planning instruction or training around instructional techniques. School-based leaders and coaches also receive weekly and monthly training on how to lead meetings, provide feedback, and support teachers on goal-setting and time management.
In Year 1, Navigator supports Core 3 school leaders around observation and feedback systems and routines. Academic coaches set weekly and monthly meeting cadences, participate in training, and assess teacher moves during scheduled walkthroughs. Teachers meet with their coaches to discuss progress, participate in 1:1 goal-setting, and huddle as a staff to discuss school-wide feedback. In Year 2 of implementation, school leaders receive more focused training on mastering data meetings. These happen once a week and are led by academic coaches. BOY Core 3 Coaching PL Structures – Observation & Feedback Meetings
Core 3 requires that curricula align to rigorous learning objectives and that instruction offers opportunities for personalization and is driven by data.
Core 3 teachers receive training around properly understanding Common Core learning objectives and aligning their curriculum from other sources to rigorous standards. Intellectual Prep, Part 1: Unpacking Common Core Standards
Instruction under Core 3 is personalized and rigorous. Students are encouraged to do the “heavy lifting” by leading discussions and answering questions that encourage productive struggle. Students are taught how to show their work, chunk their learning, and develop habits around discussion and writing. Read about a few of their instructional methods for ELA, math, and writing. CASE One-Pager RACE Action Step One-Pager Everybody Writes One-Pager
Teachers must also gather student progress data every day and from various inputs. For example, exit tickets show students’ understanding of specific content over the course of the day, checks for understanding inform in-the-moment mastery, and spiral reviews track of students’ longer-term standards and skills.
Staff must train and learn together to feel like they are a part of a larger community while also developing a positive culture in their own classrooms.
Teachers also benefit from feeling like a part of a larger community. Under Core 3, school leaders implement a “staff huddle” daily that builds community among staff. During these community meetings, school staff receive authentic shout-outs for their excellence, important announcements for the day, and bite-size development sessions to improve instructional and cultural practices. Morning Huddle Staff Huddle Checklist
Core 3 believes that taking the time at the beginning of the year to build strong classroom culture—including clear expectations for classroom routines, mutual respect, and student engagement—will ultimately save instructional time and create a stronger sense of belonging for students.
Schools must ensure that school leaders and instructional coaches receive training and can develop their teachers on each Core 3 element.
As part of leadership development and coaching, Navigator coaches support school leaders in developing their Core 3 skills through regular workshops and videoconferencing. Most schools spend two years building Core 3 capacity in the leadership team and managing change at the classroom level. By the end of coaching, school leaders will be empowered to support their staff with similar weekly professional development and coaching to build a top-tier team of educators. Classroom Walkthrough One-Pager Observation & Feedback Meeting: Implementation Checklist Live Coaching Modeling
Core 3 provides school leader training to coach their teachers around the Core 3 elements and priorities, especially around intellectual preparation and data analysis. Intellectual Prep PD Daily Data Analysis Meeting Post-Assessment Analysis Form
Core 3 training can be adapted into many learning environments and schedules, but requires dedicated and protected time for teacher and leader professional development, coaching, and data analysis.
Teachers and leaders must have dedicated time in the day to plan instruction and review and analyze student data. Teachers spend between thirty minutes to one hour a week on data meetings led by academic coaches. Whole-staff professional development session topics vary based on needs, but teachers often spend a dedicated one hour planning instruction or training around instructional techniques. School-based leaders and coaches also receive weekly and monthly training on how to lead meetings, provide feedback, and support teachers on goal-setting and time management.
In Year 1, Navigator supports Core 3 school leaders around observation and feedback systems and routines. Academic coaches set weekly and monthly meeting cadences, participate in training, and assess teacher moves during scheduled walkthroughs. Teachers meet with their coaches to discuss progress, participate in 1:1 goal-setting, and huddle as a staff to discuss school-wide feedback. In Year 2 of implementation, school leaders receive more focused training on mastering data meetings. These happen once a week and are led by academic coaches. BOY Core 3 Coaching PL Structures – Observation & Feedback Meetings
Supports Offered
Navigator Learning offers its comprehensive coaching program and resources as a partnership to leaders seeking to strengthen their school culture, rigor in learning, and data management systems. Review the Readiness Criteria Form to evaluate if Core 3 is right for your learning environment.
Core 3 Resources and Implementation Supports
Free
Core 3 is broken into replicable training modules that can be integrated by academic leaders into most school models and student populations. Navigator Learning has uploaded videos and training resources to their website. By accessing these, you can:
- Watch over two dozen videos of Core 3 training modules and practices in action.
- Explore one-page summaries and descriptions of these modules, as well as checklists and other implementation tools.
- Explore sample professional development presentations that can be turnkeyed to staff.
- Explore open-source literature units.
- Read resources and books that are foundational to Core 3’s philosophy.
School Partnership: Leadership Training
Cost Associated
The central goal of a partnership with Navigator Schools is to build Core 3 capacity in the leadership team so that they become self-sustaining over the course of two years. A school partnership provides the following:
- Site visits and school tours to see Navigator’s Core 3 practices in action.
- A needs analysis around Core 3 priorities that helps shape a personalized strategic plan.
- Regular workshops and video conferencing to build the capacity of academic leadership around Core 3 goals.
- Weekly professional development and coaching to build coaching mindsets for a top-tier team of educators and leaders.
- Leadership training, coaching, and development on turnkeying Core 3 coaching practices to school-based staff.
Reach
Impact
Students whose teachers and leaders are trained on Core 3 practices and leadership tend to perform better than their district and state averages in English language arts. All data are reported directly by Navigator Schools for the 2021-2022 academic year.
- Schools that implement the Core 3 model perform in the top 10% of schools in the state of California and in the top 5% of schools in Central California.
- 84% of economically disadvantaged students at Navigator’s public charter schools met or exceeded standards in English language arts, compared to just 38% of students in California and 25% of students in the district.
- 89% of non-economically disadvantaged students at Navigator’s public charter schools met or exceeded standards in English Language Arts, compared to just 69% of students in California and 60% of students in the district.