Teach Plus Report Highlights New Mexico School Using Opportunity Culture® Roles

by | August 22, 2024

In a new report this summer, Teach Plus took a look at innovation in New Mexico districts, and highlighted a Carlsbad Municipal Schools middle school seeing success with student growth from its Opportunity Culture® teaching teams! Read what P.R. Leyva Middle School did to bring big boosts to students in ”Growing Outcomes Through Innovation: Cultivating New Mexico’s Student Success Statewide.”

The school’s students struggled for years with academic results, though Teach Plus noted some successes in statewide academic competitions and in receiving recognition for a strong school culture. Leyva serves a highly transient and economically challenged student population, with many students failing classes, repeatedly needing to attend summer school, and suffering high dropout rates. Only 9 percent of students showed significant growth on state tests, and in 2023, a record number of students needed to complete summer school to advance to the next grade.

So in 2022, the school began planning Opportunity Culture® implementation, creating sixth- and seventh-grade Multi-Classroom Leader® teams for math and English language arts in the 2023-24 school year.

The early results were exciting: Summer school rates dropped by 39 percent, while an average of 42 percent of the teams’ students showed learning growth of 1.5 years or more in English, and an average of 45 percent in math.

Read more about other school culture and student relationship results, starting on page 17 of the report. Thanks to Teach Plus for bringing attention to this example of the great work happening in many Carlsbad schools!

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