Paola Gilliam

Be the Bridge: How Multi-Classroom Leaders Smooth Teacher-Administrator Communication

By Brandon Warren, September 3, 2019

Teachers, how many times has this happened to you?

The classroom door opens, and in comes the principal, maybe with an assistant principal in tow. Your stomach plunges as you think, “Oh my goodness, they’re here, what are they looking for, what do they like, what don’t they like?” Your purpose in teaching that day flies out of your head, and it’s all downhill from there.

How Can We Extend the Reach of Great Teachers? A Q&A with Stephanie Dean on Opportunity Culture®

From Ahead of the Heard, August 19, 2019, by Chad Aldeman

How should we train teachers? How do we ensure that all students have access to great teaching? I reached out to Stephanie Dean, the vice president of strategic policy advising and a senior consulting manager at Public Impact. In that role, Dean is working with schools and districts to implement what they call “Opportunity Culture,” a way to re-organize schools into collaborative leadership teams. 

How to Reach Far More Young Children with Excellent Teaching

By Sharon Kebschull Barrett, August 1, 2019

What if far more children ages 0–5 who are in early childhood education and care settings had consistent access to excellent teaching? In these critical developmental years, young children—especially those who have fewer educational and developmental advantages outside of formal settings—need excellent teaching every year to fulfill their potential.

Opportunity Culture® Year in Review

By Paola Gilliam, June 24, 2019

Congratulations to all educators for completing another great school year or reaching a summer intercession in Opportunity Culture schools! It’s always exciting to watch what schools using Opportunity Culture do to improve schooling for their teachers and students.

Vance County Schools Staff Named Opportunity Culture® Fellows

From The Daily Dispatch, June 8, 2019, by Miles Bates

Cherie Dixon from L.B. Yancey Elementary School, Casey Jackson from Aycock Elementary School and Aycock Principal Kristen Boyd are among the fifth cohort of “Opportunity Culture Fellows” recognized by a group called Public Impact.  This article is no longer available online.

Opportunity Culture® News: Summer Newsletter, Remotely Located Teacher Leadership

By Paola Gilliam, June 7, 2019

As the school year wraps up and summer planning begins, check out these new and noteworthy posts about Opportunity Culture resources, schools, and educators. Summer Opportunity Culture Newsletter: We publish a quarterly newsletter for educators full of resources, tools, news about Opportunity Culture, and columns by Opportunity Culture educators.

Educators Receive Fellowship

From Rocky Mount Telegram, June 5, 2019, by Amelia Harper

Two teachers and one principal from Edgecombe County Public Schools have been selected to become Opportunity Culture Fellows for the coming year. Casandra Cherry, a multi-classroom leader at Phillips Middle School; Amy Pearce, a multi-classroom leader at North Edgecombe High School, and Jenny O’Meara, principal of Phillips Middle School, have been selected for this honor.

Public Impact® Welcomes Fifth Cohort of Opportunity Culture® Fellows

By Sharon Kebschull Barrett, June 4, 2019

Public Impact announces with pleasure our fifth cohort of Opportunity Culture Fellows. This year’s 15 fellows are Opportunity Culture multi-classroom leaders and principals who have achieved strong results and been leaders in their schools and districts. Fellows provide support to their cohort, take one another’s ideas back to their schools, write columns about their experiences, and speak locally and nationally about their Opportunity Culture roles.

Summer 2019 Newsletter

The Summer 2019 edition of our newsletter for Opportunity Culture educators includes summer planning tools, a peek at our newest Opportunity Culture Fellows, a column by an Indianapolis multi-classroom leader who spoke before the Indiana Senate Committee on Education and Career Development, and resources for providing yearlong, well-paid teacher residencies in an Opportunity Culture! Read the Summer 2019 newsletter here.