By Sharon Kebschull Barrett, September 23, 2019
Each year, Public Impact announces a new cohort of Opportunity Culture Fellows–multi-classroom leaders, principals, and others in Opportunity Culture roles who have achieved strong results and been leaders in their schools and districts. This spring, Casandra Cherry, the multi-classroom leader for math and science in grades 6–8 at Phillips Middle School in the Edgecombe County, North Carolina, school district, was one of the 15 Fellows named for 2019-20. We’re saddened to share that Ms. Cherry passed away suddenly on August 21. The impact she made on students over her 20 years as an educator is incalculable, her principal at Phillips, Jenny O’Meara, said.
Sharon Kebschull Barrett
Opportunity Culture® News: New Opportunity Culture® Site, Multi-Classroom Leaders Share Impact
By Sharon Kebschull Barrett, April 8, 2019
Opportunity Culture schools and educators continue to attract attention…check out these posts from new sites, multi-classroom leader columns, and an exciting award for a multi-classroom leader. Read more…
Arkansas Department of Education Expands Opportunity Culture®
March 14, 2019, CHAPEL HILL, N.C.— After a pilot year at North Little Rock Middle School, the Arkansas Department of Education has expanded its Opportunity Culture pilot to three more districts. Opportunity Culture schools use new roles—based on the cornerstone role of Multi-Classroom Leadership—to reach many more students with excellent, personalized instruction. Read the full press release…
Arkansas Opportunity Culture® Pilot Adds 3 Districts and 8 North Little Rock Schools
By Sharon Kebschull Barrett, March 14, 2019
Opportunity Culture continues to grow: After an initial year at North Little Rock Middle School, the Arkansas Department of Education has expanded its Opportunity Culture pilot to three more districts. Read More…
High-Growth Learning, 56K Students Reached: Opportunity Culture® 2018–19
By Sharon Kebschull Barrett, March 7, 2019
As student learning continues to benefit, teachers want to keep and grow Opportunity Culture: That’s just one of the many findings and stats to report from the 2018-19 update of the Opportunity Culture data dashboard. Public Impact, which created and leads the national Opportunity Culture initiative, updates the dashboard annually. Read More…
Three More N.C. Districts to Launch Opportunity Culture® with New State Funding
By Sharon Kebschull Barrett, Jan 31, 2019
In the latest round of funding for the state’s Advanced Teaching Roles pilot, the North Carolina State Board of Education awarded grants to three districts that will implement Opportunity Culture roles—Halifax County and Hertford County in eastern North Carolina and Lexington City Schools in Davidson County. Read More…
Voices from Vance: How Opportunity Culture® Is Working for One N.C. District
By Sharon Kebschull Barrett, January 25, 2019
What do teachers, multi-classroom leaders, and administrators think about Opportunity Culture? In Vance County, a school district north of Raleigh on the North Carolina-Virginia border, their feelings about Opportunity Culture reflect the district’s motto: Vance County Proud. Read More…
College Board, NC School of Science & Math, Public Impact® Join Forces for Rural Schools
By Sharon Kebschull Barrett, January 17, 2019
Public Impact is excited to announce that our Opportunity Culture initiative is partnering with the College Board and the N.C. School of Science and Mathematics (NCSSM) to reach rural school districts with excellent NCSSM teachers. Read More…
Opportunity Culture® Schools in N.C. Outpace State on Student Growth
By Emily Ayscue Hassel and Bryan C. Hassel, first published by EducationNC, January 2, 2019.
As the founders of the Opportunity Culture initiative to extend the reach of great teaching to many more students, we keep a tight focus on how students and teachers benefit from Opportunity Culture implementation in their schools. Read More…
Opportunity Culture® in the News: Edgecombe County Schools
By Sharon Kebschull Barrett, November 29, 2018
Today’s Hechinger Report highlights Opportunity Culture in Edgecombe County Public Schools, a rural North Carolina district. Noting these “major accomplishments” in Edgecombe County, reporter Tara Garcia Mathewson quotes Erin Swanson, Edgecombe’s director of innovation, saying that Opportunity Culture could be transformational. Read More…