Program • Education Focus

3Cs Classroom

Developed in partnership with

The 3Cs Classroom curriculum is a framework designed to empower high school teachers to foster braver and more constructive classrooms in America through curiosity, compassion, and courage. Through a free curriculum toolkit, we give teachers starter tools to navigate across lines of difference in the classroom to cultivate deep inquiry, active listening, and self-expression.

About 3Cs Classroom

What is the 3Cs Classroom curriculum?

The free curriculum consists of nine lessons — three lessons for each “C”: curiosity, compassion, and courage. Each lesson includes a classroom presentation, lesson plan, and activity handouts. The curriculum is intended to be a flexible framework that can be adapted for an individual teacher’s style and unique needs.

Participating classrooms also receive physical materials, including a poster and stickers, to help reinforce the learning experienced in the lessons.

Why is the 3Cs Classroom curriculum needed?

Our nation is more divided than it has ever been, and our teachers and kids are suffering because of it. From inflammatory discord over curricula to mediating our political culture wars in the classroom, teachers are often stuck, confused, and severely under-supported in navigating classroom conflict. Teachers are now tasked with making sense of external news and events, translating them into the classroom for their students — while still getting through their daily lesson plan. This has created a mass exodus of teachers, leaving the ones remaining “exhausted,” “unappreciated,” and fending for themselves.

The 3Cs Classroom program responds directly to this need by providing effective tools that build skills and transform classroom culture to one rooted in curiosity, compassion, and courage.

How can I participate in 3Cs Classroom?

“A lot of my students see the use in this more than how to write an argumentative essay. I’m not saying that’s not useful. It is. But you know, I love the example that one of them gave me. They were like, ‘I’m not going to write an argumentative essay to my boss if I want a raise; I’m going to talk to them. And this is really cool that I’m learning how to do that.’”

Cat A.

11th and 12th grade English teacher, Oklahoma

“A group of six kids would argue with each other a lot when we were doing group work [before the 3Cs Classroom curriculum]. And I’m just thinking back. I don’t remember any arguing at all [after 3Cs Classroom]. Actually, they worked without a problem. They were laughing; they were having fun.”

Vicky L.

10th–12th grade physics teacher, California

“It’s hard sometimes as a teacher to make a good classroom culture with kids. We have a really stressful job. There’s just a lot going on… I think that if more teachers had a guide — like, a lesson to help them do that — it would make their job a lot happier and make the kids a lot happier. [3Cs Classroom] was a framework that helped establish that good classroom culture.”

Bridget C.

9th grade environmental science teacher, Georgia

“3Cs [curriculum] helped me to have a deeper understanding about courage, and I feel that I will be able to do a better job at listening to others in the future.”

Student participant

“I have noticed as a result of the 3Cs [curriculum] that I was more curious about things, and I felt myself asking more questions.”

Student participant

What do teachers with 3Cs Classroom really think about the program?

High school teachers across the country are using the free 3Cs Classroom curriculum for their students, and it’s making a difference. Hear from real teachers on their experiences and the real impact it’s having for their students.

Hear The Experiences

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