Lucama Elementary, a rural, Title I school in Wilson County, North Carolina, implemented several Opportunity Culture roles in 2021–22. Following a focus on data-driven, small-group tutoring, instruction based on the science of reading, and greater educator collaboration through Multi-Classroom Leader® teams, the school dramatically increased student learning growth. Principal April Shackleford and Lucama educators explain their success, and why it led them in 2022 to expand to schoolwide Opportunity Culture roles in the latest Opportunity Culture audio piece.
What’s Happening
Opportunity Culture® News and Views
New from Public Impact®: How Opportunity Culture® Models Strengthen Educator Professional Learning
In Building Better PL: How to Strengthen Teacher Learning, researchers Heather Hill and John Papay highlight six key design features of effective professional learning, or PL. Those features fall under two general principles for effective PL—it supports teachers’ day-to-day practice, and it involves accountability for change and improvement. Opportunity Culture schools, which provide routine, job-embedded PL through multi-classroom leader teams, notably hit the mark for those two principles and each of the key features.
Responding to NAEP Results: October Opportunity Culture® Newsletter
The October newsletter includes how to use Opportunity Culture models to respond to NAEP results, a new video and blogs, Opportunity Culture news, and more.
Maximize Opportunity Culture® Models to Respond to NAEP Results
The NAEP results released this week may feel deeply discouraging—if not surprising—to weary educators. But Opportunity Culture research points to sustainable, scalable ways to improve student learning—and at Public Impact, we see ways to improve learning well beyond those initial research findings. This is the moment for Opportunity Culture schools and districts—and those considering using Opportunity Culture models—to rapidly reach as many students as possible and maximize the innovative staffing of Opportunity Culture teams to dramatically boost student results.
Fidelity and Collaboration: Opportunity Culture® Directors Share Advice on Common Challenges
by Sharon Kebschull Barrett, October 17, 2022
Whether in districts large or small, rural or urban, Opportunity Culture directors often travel similar arcs from initial design issues to implementation challenges and successes. At the September virtual gathering of Opportunity Culture directors, four panelists shared how Opportunity Culture implementation has improved their district recruitment, teacher support, and student success, and discussed the collaboration needed among district offices, accountability concerns, and how their roles have changed.
New Opportunity Culture® Videos: Teacher Residencies; Collaborative Spaces
Check out our latest short videos, showing how Opportunity Culture residencies help schools create teacher pipelines and increase student support, and how one school’s building design enhances team collaboration.
Creating a Positive Classroom Culture: Tips from Opportunity Culture® Educators
With many students struggling with unresolved social-emotional issues brought on or intensified by Covid shutdowns, what are some simple strategies Opportunity Culture educators use to help create calm, safe spaces that support their students’ academic growth?
Resources to Hear, Watch, Read: September Opportunity Culture® Newsletter
The September newsletter includes new Opportunity Culture audio and video posts, tools and resources, a video playlist, Opportunity Culture news, and more.
New Opportunity Culture® Audio: Making the Most of Opportunity Culture® Innovations
By Public Impact, September 14, 2022
Since Superintendent Scott Muri, a finalist for state superintendent of the year in Texas, brought Opportunity Culture models to Ector County Independent School District in 2019, the district has seen significant improvement in student learning and teacher recruitment.
Texas Opportunity Culture® District Trumpets Recruitment Success
By Paola Gilliam and Sharon Kebschull Barrett, September 14, 2022
After struggling with teacher shortages for years, Ector County Independent School District (ISD) in Odessa, Texas, announced its best recruiting year in over a decade. In an Odessa American article, Superintendent Scott Muri attributed the recruiting success of about 450 teachers to several strategies, including Opportunity Culture implementation and pay raises.