These pieces highlight Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools district-level work and the stories of two of the Opportunity Culture schools in the district, Ibraham Elementary and Petree Elementary.
Publications
How Innovative Staffing Can Address Teacher Shortages, Permanently—and Boost Learning
Staffing shortages have plagued some schools for decades. How can innovative staffing designs help—and boost learning? Innovative staffing means thinking differently about instructional roles and available funding to improve academics, creating new career options for teachers and addressing persistent teaching vacancies. The Opportunity Culture initiative offers schools new tools to address staffing shortages, including high-paying advanced roles, improved support for new teachers, and staffing models that do not require filling every teacher vacancy to ensure that students have access to excellent instruction.
Para Las Familias Con Barreras Lingüísticas, ¿Qué Ha Funcionado Bien En El Aprendizaje A Distancia?
Muchos distritos que usan la iniciativa de Opportunity Culture atienden a un número significativo de estudiantes cuyas familias hablan principalmente español. ¿Cómo les afectó el cambio a la metodología de aprendizaje a distancia que se produjo en la primavera de 2020? y ¿tuvieron alguna experiencia educativa nueva que quisieran que continuara después de la pandemia? Para averiguarlo, entrevistamos a una madre y a su hijo provenientes de siete familias diferentes y de cinco distritos de Opportunity Culture, desde pequeños distritos rurales hasta grandes ciudades.
For Families with Language Barriers, What Worked in Remote Learning?
Many Opportunity Culture districts serve significant numbers of students whose families speak primarily Spanish. How did the spring 2020 shift to remote learning affect them, and did they have any new educational experiences that they wish would continue post-pandemic? We interviewed a parent and child from seven families in five Opportunity Culture districts—from small rural to large city districts—to find out.
Opportunity Anew
In the wake of Covid-19, the U.S. pre-K–12 education system needs more than a refresh. We need to think anew. This brief recommends the means through federal policy to bring critical, effective instructional and emotional supports to millions of teachers and their students—for a price tag the country can not only afford, but sustain long-term.
The Science of Reading—Part 3
Part 3 of this three-part training series identifies next steps for learning more and systematically improving your team’s explicit comprehension instruction together.
The Science of Reading—Part 2
Part 2 of this three-part training series focuses on a critical, research-based approach to supporting students’ textual meaning-making: explicit comprehension instruction.
The Science of Reading—Part 1
Part 1 of this three-part training series defines the elements of reading comprehension and why each matters, and identify ways that teachers across content areas can develop students’ comprehension skills.
Multi-Classroom Leadership with Students and Teachers at Home
This slide deck, with accompanying schedule examples, provides considerations and recommendations for Opportunity Culture schools to continue achieving high-growth student learning and developing students’ critical social-emotional skills, and providing strong support to teaching teams. It suggests high-connection and lower-connection learning options, reviews the shifts needed in technology, roles, instruction, and schedules, and provides a basic action planner.
Multi-Classroom Leadership with Students and Teachers in Multiple Locations
What can Multi-Classroom Leadership look like if some students and teachers need to stay home, or if schools open, then shut, in waves in the coming school year? This model offers three detailed scheduling and staffing model options for Opportunity Culture schools faced with those conditions, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of each.