Circle...
Because lasting school transformation begins with human connection.
WHAT CIRCLE IS:
Circle is a structured practice that cultivates belonging and strengthens community. Through a consistent weekly or biweekly rhythm, Circle creates a predictable space where every voice matters. Participants (a staff team or a group of scholars led by a staff member) reflect on their own experiences, listen deeply to others, share stories, explore identity, celebrate growth, navigate challenges, and practice showing up authentically.
When people feel seen, heard, and valued, communities become stronger. Circle helps transform classrooms and staff teams into places where trust grows, belonging deepens, and social and emotional skills are developed. Along the way, participants discover that while every person's story is unique, we are all connected by our shared humanity.
WHY
CIRCLE WORKS:
Circle is
THE HEARTBEAT OF OUR COMMUNITY
STUDENT CIRCLE IMPACT
84%
students report
Circle helps them learn
new ways they can help their friends.
80%
students report
Circle helps them feel less alone.
83%
students report
Circle helps them become better persons.
“Making it ‘normal’ to share inner pieces of yourself is the best thing our Circle does for scholars. It creates a culture that values honesty, authenticity and vulnerability.”
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FACULTY MEMBER
Valor Voyager
FACULTY CIRCLE IMPACT
82%
faculty report
Circle has changed the way that they think about emotions.
80%
faculty report
Circle helps them become friends with people who they may not have gotten to know outside of circle.
80%
faculty report
Circle helps them learn new ways they can help their colleagues.
Become a certified
Compass Circle Facilitator
in 1 year
Schools that participate in this 1-year certification course will select 3 or more faculty members to become certified Compass Circle Facilitators for either students or adults. Through a hybrid of in-person and online training sessions, you'll have the opportunity to collaborate with a cohort of schools to share in your collective growth. And like all of our programming, you will find space to connect with like-minded educators who also want to prioritize a practice that promotes authentic connection and well-being in a safe, nurturing space.
Program Overview
Our Circle Facilitator Course is a 1-year certification course for schools that are interested in implementing a simplified version of our Compass Circles on a small scale. Unlike our 3-year Compass Camp Partnership* program, this course is not a train-the-trainer model for full-scale implementation of Compass Circles at your school. Instead, this program allows us to directly train the few individuals who will be facilitating Circles at your school, and to support high quality implementation of a complex and powerful practice on a small scale. While not appropriate for school-wide implementation, we strongly encourage you to select up to 3 individuals who will be facilitating Circles in order to create opportunities for support and feedback within your school.
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Class of 2026 kicks off September 2026!
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What does participation in the course look like?
Spring Kickoff Once registered, the 3 individuals participating in the course will kickoff with by joining a virtual call with Travis & Sara, where they will receive the syllabus, internalize the course requirements and commitments, and begin to craft their plan for Compass Circle facilitation in the upcoming school year.
Circle Facilitation Early in the 26-27 school year, course participants will be responsible for launching their own Compass Circle with a dedicated group of students or adults, using video study and self-assessment measures for continuous improvement.
Coursework Coursework is completed through a hybrid of in-person and virtual learning. All registered participants will attend 2 in-person training events at The Compass Center in Nashville, TN:
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Circle 101 takes place September 23-25, 2026
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Circle 201 takes place February 3-5, 2027
In addition, the cohort will join monthly 90-minute Virtual Circle & Training calls to support on-going learning and opportunities to practice facilitation skills. (Note: This may require participants to seek coverage on these days in advance.)
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What are the steps to register?
Registration is now open, and must be submitted by August 28, 2026.
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Once the school is ready to commit, the school principal or other designated leader must complete the Partnership Agreement and Deposit. To complete this agreement, you will need:
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The names and email addresses of the selected course participants
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Means of submitting the $1,500 deposit (e.g., credit card or ACH payment)
2. Once we have received a signed agreement and deposit, course participants must complete their individual Course Registration in order to receive their syllabus and all related documents. Individual Course Registration must be submitted by September 11, 2026.
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*Schools that are interested in implementing Circles schoolwide, and who wish to develop their own in-house capacity to train and coach Circle facilitators should redirect their efforts to a partnership in our Compass Camp program.
Sep 23-25
2026
Circle 101
(in-person)
Year at a Glance
Oct - Jan
2026 2027
Monthly Virtual Circle & Training Calls
Feb 3-5
2027
Circle 201
(in-person)
Mar - May
2027
Monthly Virtual Circle & Training Calls
Additional Requirements
Circle Implementation. A critical component of the learning and development process is the consistent and intentional implementation of the Compass Circle practice. As such, each faculty member applying for certification must facilitate a minimum of 18 weekly Compass Circles over the course of the year with a consistent participant group of either students or adults. Participants should arrange to launch their Circles within 6 weeks of the start of the 26-27 school year.
Video Study. Due to the distance learning nature of much of the program, it is required that each participant capture video of their own facilitation of a minimum of 6 Compass Circles for instructional purposes. Video captured should have adequate audio quality for all Circle participants to be heard. This may require the purchase of additional audio and/or video equipment. Schools should take the necessary steps to ensure all students, their caregivers, and faculty have given informed consent to use the video for learning purposes.
Program Cost
$15,000 per school for up to 3 faculty members
(+ $2,500 for additional faculty members)
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$1,500 Deposit must be received by August 28, 2026.
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Full payment must be received no later than September 18, 2026.
Want to Learn More?
Request a 30-minute chat with one of our Facilitators.
Ready to Register?
To complete your registration, you:
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Must be the school principal or designated school leader.
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Need the names and email addresses of the selected course participants.
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Must have means of submitting the $1,500 deposit (e.g., credit card or ACH payment)
Meet Your Coaches
Travis and Sara will be your guides this year. Here's a little about them.
Executive Director, National Impact
Travis Commons, PhD
Dr. Commons has worked as an educator and researcher across a variety of settings, ranging from residential and clinical treatment to traditional and charter public schools. In 2014, Travis relocated from his long-time home of Chicago to Nashville to be the founding principal at Valor's first school site -- Flagship Academy -- which has been the top performing open-enrollment middle school in the district every year since its opening. Since opening it's doors, Valor has become an innovation hub for pioneering a comprehensive human development (CHD) approach to schooling, centered around The Compass - an integration of habits of academic success, social-emotional learning, and identity development in a relationship-based approach to growth.
Dr. Commons now leads the network's National Impact Team, in which he and his team offer a range of transformative offerings and certification programs that mitigate barriers and create pathways to connection and belonging in schools.
Director of Leadership Development
Sara Carlson Striegel
Sara Carlson Striegel has spent nearly two decades in education, serving in various roles including becoming the founding principal of an elementary school in Northwest Denver. In 2021, Sara joined the Impact team as a director of Leadership Development. In her role, Sara coaches and supports education leaders across various settings, including charter school networks and traditional districts nationwide. She now leads the Compass Leadership Fellowship, which blends leadership best practices with emotional and physical well-being, as well as identity development through a relationship-based approach. Sara also co-leads the Circle Facilitator Course designed to train and credential individual facilitators in Valor's Compass Circle model. Being both bilingual and biracial, Sara brings a deep appreciation for navigating diverse cultural systems while fostering authentic identity development and sustainable wellbeing practices.