By Public Impact, November 21, 2019
The debate over how to teach reading has heated up in the face of discouraging NAEP results, and more education groups are calling for educators to use the science of reading in classrooms. As always, dedicated teachers feel urgency to get reading instruction right, but educators are busy and need simple, research-based guidance. Concise resources that Public Impact has published today help teachers learn the basics of reading research and turn it into simple, actionable steps to boost standard curricula.
Paola Gilliam
Opportunity Culture® Improving Mineral Wells ISD Education, Rotarians Told
From Mineral Wells Rotary, November 1, 2019
Mineral Wells Rotarians on Wednesday heard how Mineral Wells ISD’s two-year-old Opportunity Culture initiative is benfitting teachers and students in its elementary school classrooms. Mineral Wells ISD school board member and Rotary program chair for the week Scott Elder brought Travis Elementary School Principal David Wells, who in turn brought with him campus educators Carla Watson, Patti Newsome and Lindsey Wells, who all serve as Multi-Classroom Leaders (MCLs) for the school under the Opportunity Culture program.
Stephanie Dean: Opportunity Culture®—Extending the Reach of Excellent Teachers
From The Principal Center, October 28, 2019, by Justin Baeder, PhD
Stephanie Dean, vice president of strategic policy advising and a senior consulting manager, discusses Opportunity Culture for the Principal Center Radio. Listen here.
Stephanie Dean, vice president of strategic policy advising and a senior consulting manager, discusses Opportunity Culture for the Principal Center Radio. Listen here.
‘Opportunity Culture®’ Schools in Guilford County Bested Overall District Improvement in Reading and Math
From News and Record, October 12, 2019, by Jessie Pounds
Nine local schools that added a new staffing model for teachers last academic year saw student performance on key subjects improve more than Guilford County Schools as a whole, state test data show. Taken together, the schools that implemented “Opportunity Culture” last year improved more than the district as a whole in both reading and math at the fourth-, sixth- and seventh-grade levels.
What Could You Do in an Opportunity Culture®? New Opportunity Culture® Video
By Sharon Kebschull Barrett, October 9, 2019
Watch the short video and check out the Opportunity Culture website to learn why this movement continues to grow 50 percent each year. Then share with educators, parents, and policymakers you know who would benefit from the higher student learning growth and educator career opportunities of an Opportunity Culture!
What Could You Do in an Opportunity Culture®? (Intro)
What could you do in an Opportunity Culture, and why do educators like it? Hear their thoughts in this brief video.
Fall 2019 Newsletter
The Fall 2019 edition of our newsletter for Opportunity Culture educators includes free resources and action planners for multi-classroom leaders and principals, a column by an Indianapolis multi-classroom leader about how multi-classroom leaders can smooth teacher-administrator communication, a spotlight on a rural North Carolina county in its third year of Opportunity Culture implementation, and highlights from the new multi-classroom leader Facebook group. Read the Fall 2019 newsletter here.
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.