Who We Are

Experience + Data + Results = Public Impact®

Public Impact® is the most experienced school and staffing transformation service in the U.S., with proven student learning results, high client satisfaction, a commitment to educator development and success, and models for sustainable higher pay for educators.

We created and lead the Opportunity Culture® initiative, the nation’s largest and most successful school staffing design effort, supported by 25 years of research and over 10 years of Opportunity Culture® implementation and related innovations.

Our mission is to improve education dramatically for all students, especially low-income students, students of color, and other students whose needs historically have not been well met

All our work supports our mission to improve education dramatically for all students, especially low-income students, students of color, and other students whose needs historically have not been well met.

Our staff, which includes many former educators, works with districts to spark strong student learning and educator satisfaction. Our Opportunity Culture® process guides you through a redesign of educator roles and provides high-quality professional learning for people in these roles—leading to long-lasting, job-embedded and relevant PD to keep your schools soaring.

Partner With Us

Bring Opportunity Culture® models to your district or charter network, or join our team to help spread Opportunity Culture® designs!

Talk With Us

To learn more about the Opportunity Culture® initative or to interview Public Impact®’s experts, contact us!

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An Opportunity Culture® Timeline

1996

Public Impact® was founded in 1996 to research, evaluate, and try new solutions to improve education for all students, especially those who were historically underserved

2009

Our focus on research-based solutions that boosted student learning dramatically and could be scaled up to reach all students led to our 3X for All publication, which envisioned a path to “extend the reach” of excellent teachers and their teams to more students—for higher pay, sustainably

2012

To put the vision into action, we began to develop the 3X for All ideas, with significant, ongoing educator input—setting out detailed models that became the foundation for the national Opportunity Culture® initiative, which Public Impact® leads by helping schools implement their designs

2013-17

In 2013, schools began using Opportunity Culture® models, which include Multi-Classroom Leader (MCL), Multi-School Leader, Team Reach Teacher, paraprofessional Reach Associate, and yearlong, paid Teacher Resident roles. MCL teams, over half of which included other teachers extending reach directly and extra paraprofessionals, appeared to boost student learning immediately, even in the first year per school

2018

Third-party studies in 2018/2021 confirmed an extra half-year of learning for students each year, on average. 2022 began a new era of innovation: expanding paid roles on MCL teams; designing Multi-School Leadership, remotely located MCL roles, embedded tutoring, and lower-cost services to schools; and reaching over 150K students in one year

2023

We’re celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Opportunity Culture® initiative with more innovation, design services options, and our ongoing commitment to reaching all students with excellent teaching, and all educators with excellent careers

Thank you to all those who shared input that helped shape the development of Opportunity Culture® models! They include:

  • The dozens of educators who provided extensive input before Opportunity Culture® models were created, including leaders of state and local teacher associations, Teach Plus fellows, and Educators for Excellence members
  • Hundreds of educators in early Opportunity Culture® schools who participated in interviews and convenings for ongoing model improvements
  • Individuals in other education organizations who lent their expertise to shape the early development of the national Opportunity Culture® initiative

Our Team

We are on-the-ground changemakers, tool builders, researchers, thought leaders, and policy experts who work with education leaders. Most of our team members who work with schools are former K–12 educators.

Our DEI Commitment

We seek to recruit, develop, and retain a team that reflects the student population, and to work with our clients to ensure that all students have access to excellent teaching in equitably funded schools, with a diverse teaching workforce.

Hear what some of our team members say about working at Public Impact®:

Our Clients 

Hear what some of our clients say about working with us:

Our Funders

We are very grateful to the many funders who have supported the implementation, improvement, and growth of the Opportunity Culture® initiative, which helps schools and districts reach more students with excellent teaching and provide outstanding career opportunities and on-the-job development to educators.

The current work of the national Opportunity Culture® initiative, which benefits all schools using these models and supports publication of free resources, is made possible in part by funding from the Overdeck Family Foundation and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, and reinvestment of Public Impact®’s income.

Numerous funders support the work at Opportunity Culture® implementation sites.

All responsibility for this website, initiative, and its products rests solely with Public Impact®.