For superintendents in collective bargaining districts who wonder how an Opportunity Culture could work, Syracuse, N.Y., educators have advice on working with unions. This vignette details the collaboration between the Syracuse district administration and union in launching an Opportunity Culture, highlighting actions to consider and critical moments in the process.
Beverley Tyndall
Opportunity Culture® Voices: Keep on Keeping On
“I’m practically a Syracuse City Schools lifetime member—from student, to teacher, to coach, then nearly into administration—but with a happy detour. I got to return to the classroom in a new position of multi-classroom leader. As the MCL, I lead a team of teachers while continuing to teach—the sweet spot for this point in my career.
But at a school new to me, in a new leadership role, with teachers who didn’t necessarily sign up for the total collaboration and openness of this team-teaching model, I faced challenges. I knew we needed to focus on data—we did need data to “drive our instruction”—and that meant sharing our students’ results with the whole team.”
–Syracuse City Schools Multi-Classroom Leader® Maggie Vadala, in Keep on Keeping On: Using Data to Move Students Forward
Data-driven instruction + a new model of teacher-led team teaching + being at a new, high-need school + data systems that must continue to improve: That’s what Syracuse’s Maggie Vadala took on last year–and very happily. In Thursday’s RealClearEducation.com, Vadala describes the challenges.
“As I dug into the data, I realized I left one important item out: relationships! I was working with five third-grade teachers and 75 students. Altogether, the five teachers had just 11 years of teaching experience.
So while we were sharing our students’ sometimes dismal data, a far-from-comfortable experience for teachers used to working alone, I had to simultaneously build trust. They were welcoming but suspicious about my role—was I just there to run to the principal whenever they made a mistake? Where was I going with all that data? I had a group of committed people; now, they had to trust that I could guide us to accomplish more together than independently.”
Read how she did it, in her warm but no-nonsense, straightfoward approach to leading her team, and their ups and downs along the way. And hear more of Vadala’s thoughts on the accompanying video drawn from our September interview with her. She’s just one of the many inspiring Opportunity Culture teachers and teacher-leaders who sees the difference Opportunity Culture is making in schools. Read past columns from her Opportunity Culture colleagues in the Opportunity Culture series–and thanks to Real Clear Education as always for hosting it.
Big Changes in Big Spring
What can a rural, 4,000-student district do to attract and retain teachers, and support many brand-new teachers? In “Reconsidering the Traditional Model: Big Spring ISD Works to Build Teacher Career Pathways,” Cindy Clegg writes in the Texas Lone Star about how and why the Big Spring school district is creating an Opportunity Culture.
A publication of the Texas Association of School Boards, the Texas Lone Star takes an in-depth look at the multi-classroom model being used in combination with paraprofessional support to extend the reach of great teachers to many more students and teachers, within regular budgets–from choosing the model to carefully selecting the multi-classroom leaders–who lead a team, coaching, co-planning, and supporting the team, while continuing to teach themselves.
Texas has created a statewide initiative to introduce Opportunity Culture to interested districts. “We are trying to build statewide capacity for school improvement,” says Mark Baxter, director of school improvement and support for the Texas Education Agency.
Big Spring is starting with six multi-classroom leaders (MCLs) at three campuses, who each earn a $10,000 supplement, funded through teacher vacancies and larger classes, which have increased paraprofessional support. Although Opportunity Culture school redesign models do not require larger classes, Big Spring chose to go from 22 to 30 students because, says School Improvement Director Heidi Wagner, “Would you rather have 30 kids in front of one excellent teacher or 22 in front of a mediocre teacher?”
Read the full article here.
Maggie Vadala on Being a Multi-Classroom Leader®
Syracuse City Schools Multi-Classroom Leader® Maggie Vadala discusses support she gets and gives in her Opportunity Culture® school. Funding for this video was provided by Carnegie Corporation of New York. Read Maggie's related blog post, Keep on Keeping on:...
Keep on Keeping on: Using Data to Keep Students Moving Forward
Real Clear Education, October 15, 2015, by Maggie Vadala, Multi-Classroom Leader®
“So while we were sharing our students’ sometimes dismal data, a far-from-comfortable experience for teachers used to working alone, I had to simultaneously build trust.” Initially, Multi-Classroom Leader® Maggie Vadala was met with distrust from her team teachers, but using student data, she demonstrated how she was there to support them and improve their teaching, not blame them.
Reconsidering the Traditional Model
Published in Texas Lone Star, September/October 2015, by Cindy Clegg The traditional model of one teacher-one classroom is being reconsidered in some districts trying to leverage the impact of effective teachers and create more career opportunity. Traditionally, the...
Start of a Teacher-Led Revolution? Ask the Teacher-Leaders!
Last week, Public Impact convened a select group of 90 teachers, principals, district administrators, and national education organization leaders in Chapel Hill, N.C., to plan the future of Opportunity Culture (OC).
The goal: Learn from pioneering OC districts and teachers and plan ahead to improve this work, with help from leaders of national education organizations.
Opportunity Culture®: Teaching, Leading, Learning
Why and how should you use Opportunity Culture? Watch our two-part video to get the scoop! Want to know more or join the Opportunity Culture community? Contact us today!
Teacher Support in an Opportunity Culture®
Opportunity Culture® teachers and teacher-leaders agree: It’s all about the support. Hear how teachers appreciate the genuine, on-the-job, consistent support they receive from teachers in the Multi-Classroom Leader® (MCL™) role. Can't access YouTube? Watch this video...
Teachers, It’s Time for Us to Say, ‘Show Me the Money’
Real Clear Education, September 15, 2015, by Romain Bertrand, Multi-Classroom Leader®
“I was not ready to leave a profession I loved, even though I needed the money and wanted the respect.” Many teachers are forced to choose between their profession and financial stability, but Romain Bertrand was able to get both by becoming a multi-classroom leader—one piece of the solution to the profession’s struggle to attract and retain great teachers.