When Carlsbad Municipal Schools Superintendent Gerry Washburn joined his New Mexico district, it was facing high teacher vacancies and low student success—and a lot of low morale. A chance conversation with Ector County, Texas, Superintendent Scott Muri showed Washburn a new option—Opportunity Culture® school redesign.
Determined to get their design and implementation of new staffing roles right, Washburn and his strong team of district leaders brought multiple parties on board early, including union representation and school board members as well as educators. In a short time, they watched schools begin to soar and lead the state: “I’ve been stunned at the acceleration that we’re seeing.”
With this design, schools have an answer to the often-denigrating question of why anyone would want to be a teacher, he said.
“You treat people like professionals, you give them the capacity to learn, you give them support, and you don’t expect them to do it all at once. And they deliver amazing results,” he said. “That is probably why it works, because it establishes a profession of support and gives you the capacity to be in a culture of success. And you get to do the greatest job on earth. You get to make a difference in kids’ lives, a real difference. I mean, why wouldn’t you want to do it?”
Listen now for Washburn’s reflections and advice to other district leaders in Superintendents Speak: Vacancies Plummet, Student Results Rocket in Carlsbad, New Mexico.