The Educator's Corner & Research & Data Access
Teachers and researchers both work with CORE's evidence, just in different ways — so we've put both audiences on one page. Jump straight to the section that's relevant to you.
Research that speaks to your classroom, not just the academic literature
CORE turns classroom observation into findings teachers and schools can actually use — not raw data sets aimed only at other researchers.
Classroom-relevant findings
Research summaries written for practice, not just for journals — focused on instructional approaches and what tends to support student learning.
Professional development
Findings feed into professional learning conversations, helping teachers reflect on pedagogical choices with evidence from real Singapore classrooms.
A voice in the research
Teacher experience is one of CORE's three core research lenses, alongside classroom observation and student experience.
What to expect
In 2026 CORE is studying Primary 5 Mathematics, Secondary 1 Music and Visual Arts, and Secondary 3 Mathematics and Literature — looking at how teachers teach, why they teach a certain way, and how students learn.
Surveys
Online, from all participating students and all teachers of the subject at the relevant level.
Lesson access
Video recording focused on teaching practice, for selected teachers — scheduled across one to two terms to fit your school calendar.
Student artefacts
Marked work and/or SLS uploads from a small number of selected students.
Consent dissemination
Help circulating parental consent through Parents Gateway. Materials are provided by the CORE team.
Time commitment
Roughly 7–16 hours per teacher and 3–5 hours per student, spread over one to three months.
Privacy & data protection
Collected under formal ethics approval (NTU IRB-2025-210), stored on a password-protected NIE server that cannot be accessed outside NIE.
Your school is never named
No school identified
Your school will not be named in any report to MOE. All findings are pooled and fully anonymised.
Nothing reported on individuals
No data on individual teachers or students is reported to MOE or to your Principal.
Non-evaluative by design
CORE is a baseline investigation of what already happens in classrooms. It is not an appraisal of teachers, students, or schools.
What comes back to you
An individualised school report
Insights drawn from the lessons observed in your school, with opportunities for further feedback from the NIE research team.
Video for reflective practice
Participating teachers get access to their own recorded lessons to use in reflective practice.
Certificate of participation
Every teacher involved in the project receives one, alongside the experience of working directly with the NIE research team.
Downloads for schools
Practice briefs and PD materials will be added here as they're published.
For schools: what to expect
A one-page summary of the study, what CORE asks of a participating school, confidentiality, and what your school receives in return.
For parents: the study explained
The three-page parent guide, useful when briefing families or circulating consent through Parents Gateway.
Collaborate with CORE
CORE has run since 2004 as a research–practice–policy partnership between NIE and MOE, generating findings for the wider research community as well as schools and policy. If you're a researcher interested in classroom-practice methodology, cohort information, or a potential collaboration, here's where to start.
Cohort & methodology
CORE's four research phases cover classroom observation, student experience, and teacher experience across hundreds of schools and thousands of lessons. See Behind the Study for the full timeline.
Data access & ethics
All data is collected under formal ethics approval (NTU IRB-2025-210) and de-identified before analysis. Data-sharing arrangements are considered case by case.
Request to collaborate
Reach out via Contact Us and select "Researcher" — tell us about your research question and what data or access you're hoping for.
Frequently asked questions
How does my school get involved with CORE?
Reach out via our Contact Us page and select "School Participation" — the team will walk you through what's involved.
Will my lessons be shared publicly?
No. All classroom data is de-identified and used for research purposes under NTU's ethics approval process, not shared or published in identifiable form.
Do I need to change how I teach for the study?
No — CORE observes existing practice as it naturally happens; the aim is to understand real classrooms, not to test a new method. It is a non-evaluative baseline investigation, so nothing you do is being appraised.
How much of my time does taking part involve?
Roughly 7–16 hours per teacher across one to three months, depending on whether your lessons are recorded. That covers the surveys, the recorded lessons themselves, a short post-lesson check-in after each one (which can be done over WhatsApp or email to fit your schedule), and a longer interview.
Does my Principal or MOE see how I did?
No. No data on individuals is reported to your Principal or to MOE, and schools are not named in reports to MOE. Findings are pooled and anonymised.
Can researchers outside NIE access CORE data?
Potentially, depending on the request and ethics considerations. Contact us with your research question and we'll advise on what's possible.