Dr. Valerie Bridges, superintendent of Edgecombe County Public Schools, says the district strives to stay innovative to benefit students and teachers.
Beverley Tyndall
NC Superintendents of the Year on Their Opportunity Culture® Districts
Dr. Valerie Bridges and Dr. Anthony Jackson, 2022 and 2020 recipients of the A. Craig Phillips North Carolina Superintendent of the Year award, describe how the Opportunity Culture initiative has improved student outcomes and increased teacher retention in their districts.
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.
District hires associate super
From OA Online, September 15, 2021
The Ector County ISD Board of Trustees voted 6-0 to approve Anthony Sorola as associate superintendent of operations. Sorola, who was OK’d during a Tuesday night workshop, replaces Stephanie Howard, who is now superintendent at Crane ISD….
… An evaluation of Opportunity Culture conducted by Texas Tech University indicates that the program is working well in Ector County ISD, especially during a pandemic year. According to the presentation, students perform better on standardized tests when taught by teachers in the Opportunity Culture program. Read More…
Education Partnership gets Grow Our Own update
From OA Online, August 17, 2021
Grow Our Own, one of the newer committees under the Education Partnership of the Permian Basin, is busy gathering data to figure out next steps. This was one of several committee reports shared in an Education Partnership of the Permian Basin Zoom meeting Tuesday. Grow Our Own focuses on strengthening educational pathways and experiences for students that are parallel to the workforce needs of Permian Basin businesses….
….“From a retention perspective and a recruitment perspective, it’s a significant opportunity for teachers in our area,” ECISD Superintendent Scott Muri said. “… We will have teachers in ECISD that will make over six figures next year for the very first time. That’s because of TIA and coupled with Opportunity Culture.” Read more…
College of Education Offers New Paid Teacher Residencies For Students
From Sam Houston State University, July 30, 2021, by Wes Hamilton
Sam Houston State University’s College of Education is partnering with Aldine and Klein Independent School Districts to offer paid teacher residency programs for Bearkat students. Opportunity Culture, is providing year-long, paid teacher residencies designed to bring a fresh approach to teacher training.
“Expanding our partnerships with Klein ISD and Aldine ISD through Opportunity Culture increases our ability to provide innovative, impactful ways for future teachers to have the dynamic preparation experiences needed to make this kind of difference,” said Stacey Edmonson, dean of the College of Education. “These partnerships open doors not only to expanding high-impact preparation for current teacher candidates, but also to increasing access to the teaching profession for future candidates.” Read More…
North Carolina Opportunity Culture® Information Session
This webinar offers an overview of Opportunity Culture teaching roles and features Principal Paul Travers of Guilford County Schools, Multi-Classroom Leader Yolande Dixon of Vance County Schools, and teacher and former reach associate Delmonika Vick of Edgecombe County Public Schools answering participants’ questions about their roles.
Federal Policy for Opportunity Anew
By Public Impact, March 11, 2021
In the wake of Covid-19, the U.S. pre-K–12 education system needs more than a refresh. We need to think anew. In a new Public Impact brief, we recommend 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.
We base our recommendations on lessons learned through our national Opportunity Culture initiative, in dozens of districts, with thousands of educators, for nearly 85,000 students this year alone. Read more…
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.