By Sharon Kebschull Barrett, October 25, 2018
Public Impact is pleased to announce our fourth cohort of Opportunity Culture Fellows. This year’s 15 fellows are Opportunity Culture multi-classroom leaders and principals who have achieved strong results and been leaders in their schools and districts.
Fellows provide support to their cohort, take one another’s ideas back to their schools, write columns about their experiences, and speak locally and nationally about their Opportunity Culture roles. Their feedback and leadership are invaluable in helping to improve the Opportunity Culture initiative, and all materials related to it.
This year’s fellows come from Texas, Indiana, Arkansas, and three North Carolina school districts. We welcome and congratulate:
Lara B. Harris, K–2 Multi-Classroom Leader, Druid Hills Academy, Project L.I.F.T. zone, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, North Carolina.
Amber Hines, 3–5 English Language Arts and Science Multi-Classroom Leader, Zeb Vance Elementary, Vance County Schools, North Carolina.
Faith Jones, 6th-grade English Language Arts Multi-Classroom Leader, North Little Rock Middle, North Little Rock School District, Arkansas.
Mollie Lyman, 6–8 English Language Arts Multi-Classroom Leader II, Whitewater Middle, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, North Carolina.
Okema Owens Simpson, 6th-grade English Language Arts Multi-Classroom Leader, Ranson IB Middle, Project L.I.F.T. zone, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, North Carolina.
Jacqueline Smith, 3–5 Math and Science Multi-Classroom Leader II, Nations Ford Elementary, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, North Carolina.
Juan Pablo SuarezOrtiz, K–5 Multi-Classroom Leader, Spring Branch Elementary, Spring Branch Independent School District, Texas.
Brandon A. Warren, Grades 3, 7, 8 Multi-Classroom Leader III, William Penn Elementary, Indianapolis Public Schools, Indiana.
Jeremy Baugh, Principal, Lew Wallace Elementary (School 107), Indianapolis Public Schools, Indiana.
Donnell Cannon, Principal, North Edgecombe High, Edgecombe County Public Schools, North Carolina.
Kelly Gwaltney, Principal, Garinger High, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, North Carolina.
Janet Moss, Principal, Coulwood STEM Academy, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, North Carolina.
Sarah Reeves, Principal, Shamrock-Gardens Elementary, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, North Carolina.
Philip A. Steffes, Principal, Albemarle Road Elementary, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, North Carolina.
Chris Winstead, Principal, Pine Shadows Elementary, Spring Branch Independent School District, Texas.
An Opportunity Culture—now in more than 20 districts in nine states—extends the reach of excellent teachers and their teams to more students, for more pay, within recurring budgets. In an Opportunity Culture school, teachers gain time to plan and collaborate, everyone gets more support, and students get personalized, high-standards instruction. Research indicates that multi-classroom leadership, the foundation of an Opportunity Culture, helps teams of teachers produce substantially higher student learning growth than in typical schools.