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Eight Ways New Schools Innovate

From Forbes, November 19, 2020, by Tom Vander Ark

The rapid global shift to hybrid and remote learning—with lots of versions and variability—provoked renewed interest in new school models. And, compared to 20 years ago, the invention opportunity is enhanced by the science of learning, broad agreement on the importance of success skills, and better tools.

An innovative approach to the organization of staffing and time comes from schools in the Opportunity Culture network. They share a system of multi-classroom leadership that provides both a talent development ladder and better support for junior teachers. Read the full article…

Rethinking School Staffing

From AEI, October 8, 2020, by Nat Malkus

As schools confront massive budget shortfalls in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, it is critical that they examine how they might use existing funding more efficiently. On this episode of The Report Card, Nat Malkus talks with Bryan Hassel about how districts might rethink their staffing models in a way that will increase students’ access to excellent teachers and create opportunities for advancement within the teaching profession, all without spending more money. Byran is the co-president of Public Impact and a contributor to the newly released volume, Getting the Most Bang for the Education Buck. Listen to the podcast…

Tracking fall reopening plans for all North Carolina districts: New database from EdNC and Public Impact®

From EdNC, October 7, 2020, by Beth Clifford, David Gilmore, Cole Smith, Preston Faulk and Molly Osborne

Since the COVID-19 pandemic upended life as we knew it in March, North Carolina school districts have had to rethink how they deliver education. After transitioning online in the spring, districts could choose between a hybrid model with limited face-to-face instruction (plan B) and 100% virtual instruction (plan C) for the start of the 2020-21 school year this fall. Read the full article…

Report: Pandemic could spur new school staffing approaches

From Education Dive, September 28, 2020, by Kara Arundel

Overnight, it seemed, some teachers’ roles changed from being leaders in their classrooms to including broader responsibilities as mentors and coaches to other teachers, curriculum designers, technology facilitators, data coaches and assessment designers. What if that were the norm, asks the AIR paper.

One approach suggested by AIR, and developed by consulting group Public Impact, is the Opportunity Culture initiative. In this structure, an experienced and effective teacher leads a small, collaborative team of teachers in the same grade or subject. The multi-classroom leaders use student data to help the team of teachers prepare for instruction, evaluate each student’s educational progress and make adjustments where needed. Read the article…

ECISD, MISD starting their second year of Opportunity Culture®

From News West9, September 22, 2020, by Rachel Ripp

Teachers have a lot on their plates this year, more than ever. But some of them here in the Basin have signed up for a brand new teaching landscape plus more students to teach or co-workers to coach. These teachers are involved in what’s called “Opportunity Culture” at ECISD and MISD.

“We also saw this as a way to keep good teachers in the classroom. I think a lot of teachers get tempted at a point to say I want to go into administration or I want to try and be a principal or I want to do something else other than teach and they’re great teachers. We don’t want to lose that. We want to keep them here, and by paying them what they’re worth I think that that helps keep them in the classroom,” Chris Hightower, MISD Opportunity Culture director said. Read more…

Will Learning Pods Be Only for the Rich?

From Education Week, August 25, 2020, by Bryan C. Hassel and Sharon Kebschull Barrett

To exhausted or worried parents deciding whether to send their children into school buildings this fall, “pandemic pods” may look like an appealing way out. Keeping their boys and girls at home learning alone may be better for physical health but not for mental health, and the arrangement is difficult or impossible for many employed parents. Equally undesirable is the greater risk of children catching and spreading a potentially deadly disease from a larger number of people at school.

Some parents are creating home-based, closed groups of a few families’ children to learn together under the rotating supervision of parents or a paid supervisor. Pods could keep students’ learning and social-emotional development on track while helping protect their and their teachers’ health. Read more…

Let’s create more human-centered solutions to schooling this fall

From The Colorado Sun, August 19, 2020, by Amy Anderson & Michele Morenz

The transition to remote learning cannot fall solely on teachers’ plates, nor should we hold on tight to a classroom-oriented model with one teacher for every 30-plus students. What if we thought creatively about our education workforce? How might we re-design instructional and student supports to align the expertise and talents of educators more purposefully around learners? Academic staff could focus on select families to provide individualized support for struggling students. Teaching assistants could maintain adult/learner relationships with weekly check-ins. Teachers could design new ways to instruct students across schools that are better suited for remote learning. Public Impact’s Opportunity Culture initiative offers some interesting models along these lines in response to COVID-19.

How Schools Can Redeploy Teachers in Creative Ways During COVID-19

From Education Week, August 5, 2020, by Catherine Gewertz

One teacher-leadership model is sparking increased interest as schools grapple with how best to support students. It’s called the Multi-Classroom Leadership model, and it was designed by the education advocacy group Public Impact to help excellent teachers reach more students. More than 200 schools in 10 states use it, according to Bryan Hassel, Public Impact’s co-president, and he’s been getting “a lot of calls” from districts asking for details since the model was highlighted as promising in a couple of recent papers on school reopening. Read more…

What is an Opportunity Culture®? Broadening the reach of the most effective teachers

From Little Things First, June 2, 2020

Public Impact has been serving urban and rural schools for many years, helping them rethink what is possible in schools.  Opportunity Culture is a subset of Public Impact that explores ways to increase the reach of our best teachers.  is it time to rethink our model of instructional coaching?  Research shows that instructional coaches spend very little time working directly with teachers to improve instruction.  Opportunity Culture involves multi-classroom leaders who teach students and support teachers simultaneously, all within the constraints of a school’s regular budget.  In this episode of Little Things First, we discuss the potential of an Opportunity Culture with Public Impact’s Lucy Steiner.  Listen to the podcast.

Bright Spots: Celebrating Teachers During COVID-19

From Overdeck Family Foundation, May 26, 2020, by Irene Chen

To wrap up Teacher Appreciation Month, we wanted to celebrate and highlight stories of educators who are playing a critical role in supporting and teaching their students. As funders of teacher preparation and professional learning organizations, it makes us incredibly proud to see the positive impact that teachers continue to have during this difficult time.

These stories remind us that human connection and relationships are central to the work of teaching and learning, regardless of whether it happens in or out-of-school. Read the full article…