Schools began using Opportunity Culture® models in:
2018-19
Learn more about the Opportunity Culture® initiative in Guilford County by visiting the district website.
Details:
Guilford County Schools, based in Greensboro, N.C., joined the Opportunity Culture® initiative in 2018, designing implementation for nine elementary and middle schools for the 2018–19 school year.
In November 2016, Guilford County Schools Superintendent Sharon Contreras convened a 120-member Transition Team, which included the chancellor of N.C. A&T University, the superintendents of the Wake County and Charlotte-Mecklenburg districts, teachers, principals, educator association representatives and leaders of education organizations, to assess Guilford and make recommendations on school and district performance improvements.
The team’s Talent Development report included a vision for talent development that included timely, job-embedded professional development; opportunities for teachers to lead without leaving the classroom; career pathways that expand the reach of excellent teachers and principals; and competitive teacher and principal salaries to attract and retain top educators. Opportunity Culture® schools address all of those aims.
Guilford leaders also expect the Opportunity Culture® initiative to help the district meet its new strategic goals by 2022, which include increasing by 50 percent the number of schools that exceed expected growth, and decreasing the achievement gap between black and Latino students and their white peers by 7 percentage points.
Guilford Demographics
When Guilford began implementing Opportunity Culture® models in the 2018–19 school year, the district had 126 schools serving 73,000 students. Of those students, 41 percent were African American, 34 percent were white, 14 percent were Hispanic, and 60 percent were eligible for free or reduced lunch.
Learn More:
- Public Impact® Press Release: Guilford County School District Becomes Fifth N.C. District Leading National Opportunity Culture® Initiative to Reach All Students with Excellent Teaching
- ‘Opportunity Culture®’ Schools in Guilford County Bested Overall District Improvement in Reading and Math, October 2019, by Jessie Pounds for the Greensboro News & Record
- Guilford County System Tries New Approach to Help Students at Struggling Schools, January 2019, by Jessie Pounds for the Greensboro News & Record
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