#13. A Superintendent’s View: Go All-In with Opportunity Culture® Teams, Small-Group

Educators at John Kerr Elementary in Winchester, Virginia, work with students in small groups.

Viewing Opportunity Culture® implementation as a single, cost-neutral solution for multiple issues—student outcomes and educator career paths and satisfaction—Winchester Public Schools Superintendent Jason van Heukelum discusses why the district “jumped all in” and how that’s working out, with strong learning growth results. For the 2023–24 school year, seventh-grade math students were number 1 in the state for learning growth; fourth-grade math was in the top 10, and eighth-grade math was in the top 12. All three of these grades had 100 percent of their students reached by Multi-Classroom Leader™ teaching teams. And across the district, 15 teams are now reaching 100 percent of students in a subject or grade, with nine teams students’ making high growth.

A Superintendent’s View: Go All-In with Opportunity Culture® Teams, Small-Group

Bonus Clips:

How Opportunity Culture® Career Paths Keep Educators in Their Best-fit Role

Use a Central Applicant Pool for Robust Hiring

Superintendent Jason van Heukelum

Related Links:

Audio: #14. Becoming a Student Growth State Leader: Lessons from Winchester

Audio: #15. How Small Groups Led to Big Middle School Math Growth

Blog: For Strong Educator Recruitment, Start Now: Tips from Opportunity Culture® District Leaders

Webpage: Small-Group Teaching and Tutoring

Want to see Opportunity Culture® models in action? Register here to attend an upcoming site visit to Winchester Public Schools and other districts using these models.

Keep Learning

#14. Becoming a Student Growth State Leader: Lessons from Winchester

Teaching team leader, Brandi Shirley, says working with students in small groups builds their confidence. For the 2023–24 school year, Winchester Public Schools had student learning growth results to celebrate: Their seventh-grade math students were number 1 in the...

#11. Public Impact® Module Helps Schools Create a Tutoring Culture

Former Multi-Classroom Leader Okema Owens Simpson led the development of Public Impact®’s Opportunity Culture® SIMPLE™ Tutoring Design series. An early module from the series, referenced in this podcast, is no longer available on the website, but you can still hear...