Who We Are
Experience + Data + Results
Public Impact® is the most experienced school and staffing transformation service in the U.S., with proven student learning results, high client satisfaction, a commitment to educator development and success, and models for sustainable higher pay for educators.
We created and lead the nation’s largest and most successful school staffing design effort, using our Opportunity Culture® models, supported by 25 years of research and over 10 years of implementation of these models and related innovations.
Our mission is to improve education dramatically for all students, especially low-income students, students of color, and other students whose needs historically have not been well met
All our work supports our mission to improve education dramatically for all students, especially low-income students, students of color, and other students whose needs historically have not been well met.
Our staff, which includes many former educators, works with districts to spark strong student learning and educator satisfaction. Our Opportunity Culture® process guides you through a redesign of educator roles and provides high-quality professional learning for people in these roles—leading to long-lasting, job-embedded and relevant PD to keep your schools soaring.
Partner With Us
Bring Opportunity Culture® models to your district or charter network, or join our team to help spread these!
Talk With Us
To learn more about our staffing models in action or to interview our experts, contact us!
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An Opportunity Culture® Timeline
1996
Public Impact® was founded in 1996 to research, evaluate, and try new solutions to improve education for all students, especially those who were historically underserved
2009
Our focus on research-based solutions that boosted student learning dramatically and could be scaled up to reach all students led to our 3X for All™ publication, which envisioned a path to “extend the reach” of excellent teachers and their teams to more students—for higher pay, sustainably
2012
To put the vision into action, we began to develop the 3X for All™ ideas, with significant, ongoing educator input—setting out detailed models that became the foundation for the national Opportunity Culture® initiative, which Public Impact® leads by helping schools implement their designs
2013-17
In 2013, schools began using Opportunity Culture® models, which include Multi-Classroom Leader™ (MCL™), Team Reach Teacher™, paraprofessional Reach Associate™, and yearlong, paid teacher resident roles. MCL™ teams, over half of which included other teachers extending reach directly and extra paraprofessionals, appeared to boost student learning immediately, even in the first year per school
2018
Third-party studies in 2018/2021 confirmed an extra half-year of learning for students each year, on average. 2022 began a new era of innovation: expanding paid roles on these teaching teams; designing Multi-School Leader™ roles, remotely located MCL™ roles, embedded tutoring, and lower-cost services to schools; and reaching over 150K students in one year
2023
We’re celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Opportunity Culture® initiative with more innovation, design services options, and our ongoing commitment to reaching all students with excellent teaching, and all educators with excellent careers
Thank you to all those who shared input that helped shape the development of these models! They include:
- The dozens of educators who provided extensive input before the models were created, including leaders of state and local teacher associations, Teach Plus fellows, and Educators for Excellence members
- Hundreds of educators in the first schools using these models who participated in interviews and convenings for ongoing model improvements
- Individuals in other education organizations who lent their expertise to shape the early development of the national initiative
Our Team
We are on-the-ground changemakers, tool builders, researchers, thought leaders, and policy experts who work with education leaders. Most of our team members who work with schools are former K–12 educators.
Our Values
We seek to recruit, develop, and retain a team that reflects the student population, and to work with our clients to ensure that all students have access to excellent teaching in equitably funded schools, with a diverse teaching workforce.
Hear what some of our team members say about working at Public Impact®:
“I’m passionate about working with districts and schools to create sustainable support and leadership opportunities for teachers, so they can lead their students to excellent learning outcomes.”
—Associate consultant
“Students deserve excellent teachers, and teachers deserve brilliant mentors and leadership opportunities. I work at Public Impact® because I know that Opportunity Culture® roles can make this vision achievable.”
—Associate consultant
“As a first-generation college student and law school graduate, I have experienced first-hand how education can break the poverty cycle in families. I do this work because all kids, no matter their background, should have access to great teachers, which can lead them to great success in life.”
—Senior vice president
Our Clients
Hear what some of our clients say about working with us:
Our Funders
We are very grateful to the many funders who have supported the implementation, improvement, and growth of the Opportunity Culture® initiative, which helps schools and districts reach more students with excellent teaching and provide outstanding career opportunities and on-the-job development to educators.
The current work of the initiative, which benefits all schools using these models and supports publication of free resources, is made possible in part by funding from the Overdeck Family Foundation and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, and reinvestment of our income.
Numerous funders support the work at specific implementation sites.
All responsibility for this website, initiative, and its products rests solely with Public Impact®.