When I became a multi-classroom leader for the exceptional children’s (EC's) team, I expected to be able to use my 15 years of experience as an EC teacher and dean of students to coach teachers, especially special education teachers, and help them grow. But I...
What’s Happening
Opportunity Culture® News and Views
Vance County Becomes 18th Site in National Opportunity Culture® Initiative
Vance County Schools, based in Henderson, N.C., has joined the national Opportunity Culture® initiative to extend the reach of excellent teachers and their teams to more students, for more pay, within recurring budgets. The initiative now includes 18 sites in seven...
How 2 Pioneering Blended-Learning Teachers Extended Their Reach
What makes blended learning different in an Opportunity Culture®? As two pioneering high school teachers in North Carolina show in new vignettes, blended learning gives them a tool to reach 40 to 100 percent more students per class period with great teaching. Students...
Opportunity Culture® Voices: A Teacher’s Smart Advice for Serving Students’ Emotional Needs
Walking into Grant Middle School in 2014 was very intimidating. How many people would willingly move from a successful middle school in Queens to Syracuse's largest and notoriously poor-performing middle school? Probably not many, but I was seeking a challenge. And I...
Edgecombe County, NC, “Thrilled” to Join Opportunity Culture® Initiative
To attract and retain great teachers, Edgecombe County Public Schools, located along the Tar River in flood-ravaged North Carolina, has joined the national Opportunity Culture® initiative to extend the reach of excellent teachers and their teams to more students, for...
Free Tools for Teacher-Leaders, Turnaround Principals
Start off the new year with support from a large selection of new, free tools from Public Impact®. Whether you are leading a teaching team or leading a school—especially one attempting a turnaround—you'll find tools based on research and the practices of the best...
Dashboard Shows: As Opportunity Culture® Spreads, Teachers, Students Reap Benefits
Curious about the impact of an Opportunity Culture®? We've just updated our dashboard, as we will every year, with the latest statistics. Such as: 110+ schools at 17 sites in 7 states—and growing 34,000+ students taught by teachers extending their reach—a 50 percent...
Opportunity Culture® Voices: For Truly Personalized Learning, I Had to Try, Try Again
After 26 years of teaching, I was the model of a traditional teacher. Class began with review, then new material and cooperative or independent work, then closure. But two years ago, intrigued by my district’s request that I pioneer an Opportunity Culture® biology...
Public Impact® is Hiring!
Public Impact® is seeking candidates for analyst for summer 2017 start dates. Applications are due December 5, 2016. Public Impact®, which created the Opportunity Culture® initiative, is a national education policy and management consulting firm based in Chapel...
Opportunity Culture® Voices: Getting the Recipe Right for Teacher Leadership
What’s the recipe for an effective system of teacher leadership that can lead to higher student growth? My school, Rocky River Elementary, in Cabarrus County, N.C., ranked at the bottom of student proficiency and student growth in recent years. We clearly needed to...