What 3CSN does

3CSN is a nonprofit professional learning network founded in 2008 that serves all 116 California community colleges and has reached over 66,000 educators since inception. It operates from the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) office with 13+ coordinators and applies a methodology grounded in Network Theory, Communities of Practice, and action research to system-wide faculty and staff development.

Its core offerings include the Basic Skills Leadership Initiative (BSILI) — a year-long leadership institute with 450+ alumni across roughly 75% of California community colleges — along with the Facilitator Learning Community (FLC), Equity 101 and Equity 102 courses (delivered with academic credit through California State University, Dominguez Hills), Design Labs, and recurring online sessions such as Wayfinding Online, Peer Educator Power, Civic Dialogues, and Faculty Teaching and Learning Academy (FTLA). LINKS rounds out the portfolio as a coordinating framework across cohorts.

The business model is primarily grant-funded through the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office (CCCCO), supplemented by contracted on-site professional development partnerships with individual colleges (e.g., Victor Valley, Glendale, and West LA through CRPP grants in 2023). Free weekly online sessions function as a top-of-funnel engagement layer, while contracted training cohorts and equity course tuition (via CSU Dominguez Hills) constitute the monetized layer. The organization also maintains a formal partnership with IEPI since 2015 to train Partnership Resource Teams across the system.

Name

3CSN

Legal name

3CSN

Website

https://3csn.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

3CSN is a nonprofit professional learning network founded in 2008 that has served over 66,000 educators across all 116 California community colleges through Communities of Practice, year-long leadership institutes, equity-focused courses, and design labs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Development and Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Workshops, Webinars & Live Masterclasses (MPACALAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Corporate/L&D Course Licensing from Creators (B2B Upskilling) (MPACALAH)

Keywords

• Professional learning network
• Community college faculty development
• Educational communities of practice
• Equity-focused training programs
• Institutional leadership development

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Services/Grant Funding: 3CSN operates primarily through grant funding from the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office (CCCCO). They offer free online sessions and contract with community colleges for on-site training and professional learning programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

3CSN provides professional learning programs for California community college educators, structured around Communities of Practice (CoPs) and action research methodologies. Its core offering is the BSILI year-long leadership institute for curricular and institutional transformation, supplemented by Equity 101/102 credit courses, weekly online sessions (Wayfinding Online, Peer Educator Power), Design Labs, Civic Dialogues, the Facilitator Learning Community, and topic-specific CoPs spanning Reading Apprenticeship, Acceleration, Habits of Mind, and more. Programs are delivered as free statewide online sessions and via contracted on-site engagements with individual colleges.

Product overview

3CSN is a California Community College professional learning network offering a multi-layered portfolio of programs and services. The core offerings include BSILI (Leadership for Curricular and Institutional Transformation), a year-long leadership institute, and Equity Courses (Equity 101 & 102) for equity-focused professional development. These are supported by Design Labs (multi-part 90-minute sessions on topics like Canvas, ePortfolios, Ungrading, and Project-Based Learning) and ongoing Communities of Practice (CoPs) covering areas such as Reading Apprenticeship, California Acceleration Project, Habits of Mind, and Equity Project. 3CSN also provides weekly programming through Wayfinding Online (Zoom-based sessions) and Peer Educator Power (for tutors and SI leaders), plus periodic series like Civic Dialogues and regional conferences through LINKS. The Facilitator Learning Community (FLC) trains facilitators to support campus change initiatives. Together, these programs serve tens of thousands of educators across California's 116 community colleges through both free online sessions and contracted campus-specific training.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BSILI (Leadership for Curricular and Institutional Transformation) BSILI is 3CSN's flagship year-long leadership institute that builds leadership capacity for institutional change. The program provides summer institute training followed by year-long wrap-around support including communities of practice, on-site training, coaching, and technical assistance. It has over 450 alumni representing approximately 75% of all 116 California Community Colleges.
• Equity Courses (Equity 101 & Equity 102) Equity 101 is a seven-week online course focusing on teaching and learning perspectives for equity and social justice, with 197 participants from 46+ California community colleges since 2019. Equity 102 is a next-level course for Equity 101 alumni with 61 educators since 2020. Both offer 3 units of post-baccalaureate credit from CSU Dominguez Hills.
• Facilitator Learning Community (FLC) A year-long learning community supporting BSILI participants and colleagues in planning and facilitating professional learning experiences. Launched in 2018 with 25 participants, it has since served over 76 California community college educators in designing and implementing campus change initiatives.
• Design Labs Multi-part 90-minute sessions designed for participants to build knowledge and relationships while applying learning to design, revise, or reimagine their approaches. Labs include topics such as Building a Student-Centered Canvas Course, Creating & Sustaining Communities of Practice, ePortfolios, Lighting the Path, Ungrading, Peer Educator Power, We Can Do This: Equity by Course Design, and Project-Based Learning.
• Wayfinding Online A free Zoom-based professional learning series launched in March 2020 featuring weekly sessions spotlighting practitioners and experts. Topics center equity, practitioners in community, and tools for learning such as Canvas, Zoom breakout rooms, collaborative tools, and asynchronous engagement. Includes sub-series like Equity in Action: Praxis Sessions and Colleges in Action.
• Peer Educator Power A community of practice for peer educators, tutors, SI leaders, coaches, and mentors held weekly on Fridays from 3-4:30 PM PST. Sessions highlight successful practices, facilitate robust discussions, and provide collaborative design spaces. Evolved from the Learning Assistance Series created during the COVID-19 pandemic transition to online learning.
• Civic Dialogues A multi-part speaker series presented in partnership with Bringing Theory to Practice, College of the Canyons, and Cerritos College. Features national experts discussing civic engagement and educational practices for increasing meaningful engagement on campuses. Each two-hour session includes a guest speaker followed by facilitated discussion relevant to Guided Pathways work.
• Communities of Practice (CoPs) Ongoing collective inquiry and practice groups centered on curricular and institutional redesign. Includes Reading Apprenticeship, California Acceleration Project, Habits of Mind & Growth Mindset, ePortfolios, Equity Project, Facilitator Learning Community, Integrated Reading & Writing, Learning Assistance Project, Peer Educator Power, Threshold Project, Transforming STEM Teaching, Ungrading, and Civic Dialogues.
• LINKS (Learning in Networks for Knowledge Sharing) A statewide series of regional events and 2-day conference focused on emerging educational issues and specific student success topics and practices. Since 2010, LINKS events have served over 1,900 participants from over 100 colleges.
• FTLA (Faculty Transformational Learning Academy) A semester-long faculty training program providing innovative teaching strategies that support student-centered classrooms. Founded in LA Community College District in 2008 and expanded to Foothill College in 2016. Has over 230 alumni from 12 colleges.
• Regional Networks (6 regions across California) Six regional networks covering Far North (FNRN), Northern CA (NCLN), Central Valley (CVRN), Los Angeles (LARN), Foothill Inland Empire (FIER), and San Diego & Imperial Valley (SDIVRN). Together these regional networks have served over 15,000 participants representing all 116 California Community Colleges since 2009.

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• The RP GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner3CSN is a long-standing sponsor and partner to the SSSC and RP Group. Every year 3CSN coordinators present on student success initiatives, research projects, and faculty innovations. 3CSN conducts post-conference workshops on the last day of the conference.
• Institutional Effectiveness Partnership Initiative (IEPI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2015, 3CSN and IEPI have been collaborating to help train Partnership Resource Teams (PRT), which are peer-led technical assistance teams. 3CSN provides Appreciative Inquiry training and support to PRT team members.
• Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner3CSN operates from the LACCD district office. The executive director, Dr. Deborah Harrington, is the Dean for Student Success at LACCD and an English professor at L.A. Valley College. 3CSN is partnered with LACCD on an IEPI seed grant to provide professional learning in Diversity Equity and Inclusion.
• Victor Valley CollegemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner3CSN is currently partnering with Victor Valley College as they work on equity projects for the CCCCO's Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and Practices (CRPP) Grant.
• Glendale Community CollegemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner3CSN partnered with Glendale Community College in 2023 for equity projects under the CRPP Grant.
• West Los Angeles CollegemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner3CSN partnered with West LA College in 2023 for equity projects under the CRPP Grant.
• Bringing Theory to Practice (BT2P)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Civic Dialogues series, presented in partnership with Bringing Theory to Practice, College of the Canyons, and Cerritos College.
• California State University Chancellor's OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState system partner collaborating on professional learning initiatives and the Civic Dialogues series.
• CSU Dominguez HillsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides 3 units of post-baccalaureate credit for 3CSN's Equity 101 and Equity 102 courses.
• Cerritos CollegemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Civic Dialogues series and one of the first colleges to participate in the Reading Apprenticeship Community of Practice.
• College of the CanyonsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Civic Dialogues series and one of the first colleges in the California Acceleration Project.
• Pasadena City CollegemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the first colleges to participate in the Reading Apprenticeship Community of Practice. Has leveraged Reading Apprenticeship as a central piece of their First Year Pathways program.
• Imperial Valley CollegemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCurrent partner college working with 3CSN on student success initiatives.
• Las Positas CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner college in the 3CSN network.
• Santa Monica CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner college in the California Acceleration Project and 3CSN network.
• WestEdmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWestEd developed Reading Apprenticeship (Strategic Literacy Initiative). 3CSN coordinates Reading Apprenticeship work with WestEd for California community colleges.
• Unite LAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in the 3CSN network.
• IVC Equity InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership established in May 2023 for equity-focused initiatives.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Community College Research Center (CCRC) at Columbia University: Research center that studies community college practices and supports reform of developmental education, acceleration, and student success. Comparable to 3CSN because both develop and disseminate evidence-based practices (e.g., California's Acceleration Project aligns with CCRC's developmental education research).
• Achieving the Dream: National nonprofit network supporting community college student success through professional learning, coaching, and data-driven reform. Most directly comparable to 3CSN's mission of elevating community college outcomes via coordinated professional development across institutions.
• League for Innovation in the Community College: National nonprofit dedicated to community college innovation and professional development, convening conferences, publishing resources, and supporting leadership programs. Directly comparable to 3CSN's network-based, peer-led professional learning model.
• The RP Group (Research & Planning Group for California Community Colleges): California-based nonprofit that supports community colleges through research, professional development, and the Strengthening Student Success Conference. Long-standing 3CSN partner and closest functional peer within the California community college ecosystem.
• Center for Community College Student Engagement (CCSSE): Research center at the University of Texas at Austin that benchmarks community college student engagement and provides related professional development. Comparable peer because both 3CSN and CCSSE feed diagnostic data and evidence into educator practice change.

Emerging players

• WestEd: Nonprofit research and development agency that originated Reading Apprenticeship and partners with 3CSN to coordinate Reading Apprenticeship in California community colleges. Comparable peer that combines educator professional development with research-based content.
• USC Center for Urban Education: Equity-focused research and professional development center supporting higher education institutions in closing equity gaps. Comparable to 3CSN's Equity Courses and Equity Project, but operates at a smaller scale and at the national level.

Broad incumbents

• EAB (Education Advisory Board): Large-scale vendor (now part of Evolent) providing research, consulting, and technology-enabled services to higher education institutions, including student success and equity advisory work. Comparable on the B2B professional services front but a much larger, for-profit incumbent.
• American Association of Community Colleges (AACC): National advocacy and leadership organization for community colleges offering conferences, leadership academies, and policy work. Comparable to 3CSN as a national umbrella operating in the same professional development space, but with a broader, less California-specific focus.
• Huron Consulting (Higher Education Practice): Global consulting firm with a higher education practice that supports student success, academic transformation, and equity initiatives. Comparable as a higher-education professional services provider, but operates at national scale and is for-profit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@3CSN
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/3csn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about 3CSN