When you invest in training, ideally you want it to be engaging, participatory and relevant to your business. Those are key elements of NAR’s new Verified Instructor Training program. In a test session this week, seasoned and new instructors took the two-day course ahead of its launch at NAR NXT 2026.
The program prepares instructors to take an assessment that certifies them as having demonstrated instructional competency and a commitment to high-quality, learner-centered education. Elevating the quality of instruction is one component of NAR’s transformation of its educational offerings.
“The Center for Realtor Development is one of our biggest ways to help answer the question (of professionalism),” said Nykia Wright, NAR CEO, during a visit to the Verified Instructor Training program two-day pilot.
The Center for REALTOR® Development (CRD) tested the new pilot program with 13 volunteers, most of whom are already CRD trainers, who engaged with the new course material and provided feedback.
The NAR Verified Instructor Training is designed for real estate educators who want to strengthen their instructional effectiveness and create more meaningful learning experiences that enhance the professionalism of their students. There are three components to the program: the training, the assessment and obtaining official NAR verification, which is achieved once a participant successfully passes the assessment. NAR is developing an instructor directory for course providers that will identify approved CRD instructors and indicate those who have earned NAR Verified status.
“Every market is different,” said co-facilitator Zola Szerencses, a longtime trainer and real estate professional in Orlando, Fla. “So that’s why [the training is] more about the behavior of the facilitator.”
One focus of the new Verified Instructor Program is on instilling the importance of facilitator preparation. The program teaches facilitators techniques for due diligence and preparation that ensure they can walk into any market and deliver training that’s applicable to the learner, Szerencses said.
“It all starts with education,” said Natalie Davis, AHWD, C2EX, a pilot participant and founder of The Evolution Group Powered by Keller Williams. “We can have policies in place, we can have rules in place, but if we're not well educated in terms of what we're doing and the experiences that we're creating, it's all for naught.”
Davis, an experienced trainer, believes the emphasis on strengthening education will build more professional, properly equipped real estate professionals.
The coursework takes into account how adults learn: Adults need to understand why the topic matters to them; recognize how the content applies to real-life scenarios; have time to apply the learnings and engage with each other during the training experience; and see opportunities to apply what they’ve learned immediately, which happens during the practicum on the second day of the training.
The program explores and tests learner-centered instructional strategies so facilitators can move beyond lecturing at a student and instead help learners actively process the information presented in the training. That way, learners walk away from the training with a stronger understanding of the materials taught and how it applies to their business.
The focus on adult learning stuck out to Davis.
“There are a lot of concepts and tools that we utilize in our presentations, but to have them in a concise location—to know that we can go to this menu of services and select what's going to work for the adult learners that are in that space—that’s going to elevate the experience.” Harrison Beacher, AHWD, C2EX, a pilot participant, longtime trainer and managing partner of Coalition Properties Group, said the Verified Instructor Training gives him hope for better industry education.
“The idea that there could be a new cohort of verified instructors that have gone through this kind of core competency training really excites me for the future of the type of offerings that CRD and NAR will be able to give to our members.”
Pilot participants completed a capstone on their second day of the training. They worked in pairs or individually to design and deliver a 15-minute learning experience that demonstrated their understanding of the principles of adult learning and instructor responsibility. The capstone had to include some key components: a clear topic and learning objective, an opening that set up the topic, a learner-focused activity and clear setup of that activity, questions for learners to test their knowledge, and time for a debrief and a key takeaway for the learner.
Their peers used a dedicated form provided by CRD to give feedback, and the facilitators scored the presentation based on a rubric. Moving forward, there will be an opportunity for existing trainers to opt out of the Verified Instructor Training course and move straight to the assessment. To become NAR certified, instructors must complete and pass the assessment.
The Verified Instructor Training’s official launch is scheduled for Nov. 3 and 4 at NAR NXT in New Orleans. Registration for the training will go live in September through the NXT portal.
