The U.S. spends more per capita on K–12 education than almost every other country on Earth. Yet achievement gaps persist, and we have fallen behind globally.
Why? Only 25 percent of classes are taught by excellent teachers. With an excellent teacher versus an average teacher, students make about an extra half-year of progress every year—closing achievement gaps fast, leaping ahead to become honors students, and surging forward like top international peers.
Unfortunately, existing strategies alone will never fill our 3 million classrooms with teachers as good as today’s top 25 percent. Schools can fix this by extending the reach of excellent teachers using job redesign and technology.
New school models also create career paths that offer all teachers career advancement opportunities. Advancement allows greater impact on children and more pay—within budget.
We call this an Opportunity Culture.
- Why This Matters: What research says about the impact excellent teachers have on student learning.
- Redesigning Schools: More than 20 school models showing how to extend the reach of excellent teachers to more students, within budget. Plus new career paths that respect teachers’ time and talents, and help every teacher pursue excellence.
- Reforming Policy: How to clear barriers and create the will to reach all students with excellent teachers fast.
- The Opportunity Culture Initiative: Public Impact’s work to disseminate new school models and to catalyze implementation nationally.
Featured Publications
Leading Educators Case Study
Empowering Teacher-Leaders to Extend Their Reach by Leading Teams Case Study [pdf] This is the first in a series of case studies offering in-depth looks at how districts, charter schools, and other programs have begun using Opportunity Culture models or experimented with similar means of expanding teachers’ impact on students and peer teachers. This study [...]
A Better Blend
A Vision for Boosting Student Outcomes with Digital Learning
Full Report [pdf]
Blended learning that combines digital instruction with live, accountable teachers holds unique promise to improve student outcomes dramatically.
Infographic: Extending the Reach of Excellent Teachers
Why does every child need consistent access to excellent teachers, and how can we, today, extend the reach of the excellent teachers our nation already has? Public Impact teamed up with designers at Column Five to develop this infographic with the answers. It illustrates four ways school can use job redesign and technology to put excellent [...]
Opportunity at the Top
How America’s Best Teachers Could Close the Gaps, Raise the Bar, and Keep Our Nation Great
Executive Summary [pdf] | Full Report [pdf] | Two-Page Brief [pdf]
Our nation is squandering one of its most important resources—our best teachers—and children are paying the price.
3X for All
Extending the Reach of Education’s Best
Full Report [pdf]
Instead of just trying to recruit more great teachers, what if we could reach dramatically more children with the great teachers we already have?
An Opportunity Culture for Teaching and Learning
Moving Toward a Highly Paid, High-Impact Profession
Two-page Report (pdf)
This two-page report speaks directly to excellent teachers and those aspiring to excellence to introduce the concepts of an Opportunity Culture and its benefits for teachers and staff.
Career Paths That Respect Teachers
More Pay & Time to Collaborate, Lead, Reach More Students
Two-page Report (pdf)
If you are an excellent teacher or one who aspires to excellence, this two-page report explains how schools can use redesigned jobs and career paths to help you stay enthusiastic about teaching, reach more students, and lead your peers, for more pay.
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