A publication of the Association of California School Administrators

The Squads effect

Cultivating 21st century skills through student-led learning environments

By Caprice Young | May | June 2025

Education must evolve in order to prepare students for a world that is, in many ways, completely different from the one their parents and grandparents experienced.

Traditional educational models — with their emphasis on passive learning and standardized tests — are often ill-equipped to develop the skills that students will need to achieve their college and career goals.

That’s why Navigator Schools (Navi) created the Navi Squads Model, a groundbreaking approach to learning that transforms classrooms from teacher-centered environments to dynamic, student-led ecosystems of collaborative growth.

Squads represent a radical reimagining of how our middle school students interact and develop critical life skills, such as leadership and negotiation. The goal is to set our students up for success by cultivating adaptable and emotionally intelligent individuals who will thrive in the workforce and in their lives.

Origin of Squads Middle school is when students really start to develop interests outside the classroom.

The Squads model was created because one of our founders, James Dent, noticed that his son had become bored in his middle school classroom. Shortly after that epiphany, he decided to give his son ownership over his own lessons and was amazed at how much more invested he became in learning.

Our model’s design is deeply rooted in understanding adolescent brain development. Early adolescence — the period between ages 9 and 14 — is a critical time of social and cognitive growth. During this phase of development, young people are especially attuned to social relationships and eager to understand hierarchies and collaborative work.

Squads provide our students with structured yet autonomous learning environments while tapping into their natural inclination toward social learning. In this model, students go from being passive recipients of information to becoming active contributors in each other’s learning.

Developing ‘durable skills’ for an uncertain future At the heart of our Squads model is a profound emphasis on what truly prepares students for success.

Having good grades and a varied list of extracurricular activities is no longer enough. An analysis of 80 million job postings revealed that 70 percent of the most requested workplace skills are what employers describe as “durable skills,” which include soft skills such as critical thinking and collaboration. Additionally, the five most popular durable skills were requested 4.7 times more often than the five most popular hard skills.

In addition to having greater input into their lessons, Squads is the first time many middle school students receive training and direction on how to productively engage with peers and perform the various roles on a team. Our model also fosters emotional intelligence among students by allowing them more opportunities to experience and manage a variety of emotions in positive ways.

Shifting your classroom to Squads All classrooms fall along a “Core Instruction Continuum” that describes the degree to which students experience teacher-centered versus student-led instruction. The continuum moves gradually from teacher-led, lecture-style instruction to student-led teams that work together to achieve teacher-designed experiences and lessons with limited adult intervention.

Squads are an example of student-led academic teams. While many classrooms implement some form of group work, most do not use teams. The primary difference between the two lies in the roles assumed by students and teachers, moving from a teacher-led instructional model — where adults tightly manage learning — to one that is propelled by students.

Our model is characterized by defined teams with clear roles for everyone in the classroom. Each Squad is comprised of three students:

Squad leader
Presenter
Quality control

Each student periodically cycles through each role within their Squad, exposing them to different experiences. A group of three Squads in a classroom combine to form a team, and one of the squad leaders assumes the role of team leader. The students are supported by teachers and small group instructors in each classroom, who transition from being the primary keepers and disseminators of knowledge to serving as coaches who guide students to support and learn from one another.

We have created “Squads Progressions” that can be used by teachers to establish the conditions necessary for Squads to thrive.

Phase 1: Students work in small, teacher-led groups and are introduced to the Squad jobs/norms. Phase 2: Squads launch with team leaders who take on responsibility with teacher support. Phase 3: Teachers start to act as coaches, moving Squads closer to being autonomous. Phase 4: Squads are running efficiently; teachers are coaches and students are autonomous.

How Squads students learn by teaching One of the most powerful aspects of the Squads model is what educational researchers call the “protégé effect,” a phenomenon where students who teach other students often experience significant learning gains themselves.

When students are positioned as teachers and mentors, they must develop a deep and substantial understanding of concepts so they can explain them to peers.

Team leaders in the Squads model are trained to support their peers without simply giving their fellow students the answers. Students learn to ask probing questions so they can help guide their teammates toward understanding. This approach helps lead to better outcomes in the classroom and helps students develop skills like communication and empathy.

Our Squads also mirror the collaborative, team-based structures of many modern workplaces, giving students a head start on navigating complex interpersonal dynamics. Thanks to Squads, these lessons are no longer abstract concepts taught through lectures; they are real-life experiences that students get to learn from every day.

One of the most powerful aspects of the Squads model is what educational researchers call the “protégé effect,” a phenomenon where students who teach other students often experience significant learning gains themselves.

The impact of Squads We recently tracked the academic progress of a group of fifth graders at Watsonville Prep (a Navi school) and compared their math and ELA performance as they entered middle school.

The percentage of students who were proficient in math increased from 28 percent in 2022-23 to 49 percent in 2023-24, their first year in a Squads classroom. The ELA scores for the same group of students also improved from 45 percent in 2022-23 to 57 percent the next school year.

Still, measuring the impact of Squads on our students goes beyond traditional grades and test scores. Squads students also learn to track their own progress and identify potential areas for improvement. In 2021, we conducted a survey with two cohorts of students: one was working in Squads, and the other cohort was not.

Students in Squads were almost two times more likely to agree or strongly agree that, “Over the last three weeks, I got specific suggestions around how to improve my skills.”
Students in Squads were five times more likely to agree or strongly agree that, “Most of my classmates encourage each other to work hard in this class.”
Students in Squads feel an increased sense of belonging and feel more supported in their schoolwork compared to those not in Squads.

Schools need educational models that do more than transfer information, particularly in a complex world that is constantly changing. Our Squads recognize and acknowledge that the most important skill students can acquire is the ability to learn, grow and thrive in any environment.

As we look ahead, models like Squads offer hope — a vision of education that doesn’t just prepare students to enter the world, but empowers them to collaborate with others to help shape the future.

References Squads Model. Navigator Schools, February 2024, www.navigatorschools.org/squads-model. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.

“UNICEF Explainer Video - The Adolescent Brain.” YouTube, uploaded by Rightcolours, 9 April 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=oASRbVWydC8.

Durable Skills. America Succeeds, July 23, 2024, www.americasucceeds.org/policy-priorities/durable-skills. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.

Edutopia. “The Protégé Effect: 3 Ways to Maximize Peer-to-Peer Learning.” YouTube, 28 Sept. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaLgg8QrBCY

Caprice Young, Ed.D., is CEO and superintendent of Navigator Schools.