From OA Online, December 12, 2019, by Ruth Campbell
Ector County and Midland independent school districts will implement Opportunity Culture with paid teacher residencies in partnership with the University of Texas Permian Basin. UTPB and its partner schools are the newest members in the University-School Partnerships for the Renewal of Educator Preparation (US PREP), a news release said. Ector County ISD and Midland ISD are designing their Opportunity Culture plans now for implementation in fall 2020 in 16 schools — eight in each district. Both districts have experienced large teacher shortages. ECISD has 350 openings.
In the Media
Ector County ISD and Midland ISD partner with University of Texas in the Permian Basin and US Prep for Teacher Preparation Residencies
From News West 9, December 8, 2019, by Leatra Hernandez
Ector County ISD and MISD will now have help with the struggling teacher shortage that has plagued the school districts. With the assistance of the University of Texas Permian Basin and US Prep, the school districts will introduce Opportunity Culture with paid teacher residencies. Opportunity Culture is a model that will provide teachers with greater support as well as give teachers a chance to lead small teams for higher pay and helping with developing new teachers. The model will be for strengthening the teacher pipeline for better education nationwide.
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.
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.
Three Guilford County Educators Recognized by National Organization as Leaders in their Schools
From Guilford County Schools, June 11, 2019
One principal and two teachers were recognized for their outstanding leadership in the Opportunity Culture program by being inducted into the fifth class of Public Impact’s Opportunity Culture Fellows. Public Impact’s goal is to improve education for all students by finding, developing, and expanding the impact of outstanding educators.
Vance County Schools Staff Named Opportunity Culture® Fellows
From The Daily Dispatch, June 8, 2019, by Miles Bates
Cherie Dixon from L.B. Yancey Elementary School, Casey Jackson from Aycock Elementary School and Aycock Principal Kristen Boyd are among the fifth cohort of “Opportunity Culture Fellows” recognized by a group called Public Impact. This article is no longer available online.
Educators Receive Fellowship
From Rocky Mount Telegram, June 5, 2019, by Amelia Harper
Two teachers and one principal from Edgecombe County Public Schools have been selected to become Opportunity Culture Fellows for the coming year. Casandra Cherry, a multi-classroom leader at Phillips Middle School; Amy Pearce, a multi-classroom leader at North Edgecombe High School, and Jenny O’Meara, principal of Phillips Middle School, have been selected for this honor.
First Look: Remotely Located Teacher Leadership
From EdNC, May 8, 2019, by Sharon Kebschull Barrett
This semester, the College Board and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (NCSSM) joined with Public Impact’s Opportunity Culture initiative to test the remotely located Multi-Classroom Leadership model: An excellent NCSSM teacher would lead a small team of teachers spread across rural North Carolina districts, which often lack enough teachers who are prepared to ensure student success in advanced classes.