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“A Great Solution”: Opportunity Culture® Design on Future of Education Podcast

March 2, 2026

“Asking teachers to be superheroes and be all things to all students is an insane job description,” writes Michael Horn. After having Bryan Hassel and Ashley Williams of Public Impact on his Future of Education podcast to talk about Opportunity Culture® staffing design, Horn wrote, “The work Bryan and Ashley are doing speaks to a great solution—that also makes the job of teaching more motivating and viable.”

In Scaling the Transformation of the Traditional Teaching Model, Hassel and Williams discuss the power of teaching teams. In a LinkedIn post, Horn said the conversation left him with several takeaways, including that:

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Using Title I and II Funds to Support School Design that Boosts Student Learning

February 26, 2026

The U.S. Department of Education recently released guidance encouraging states and school systems to use Title II and Title I funding (“Title funding”) to redesign schools for stronger learning and educator satisfaction using “strategic staffing.”

Opportunity Culture® school designs are proven, evidence-based staffing designs that boost student learning by 2–13 months each school year—while increasing teacher satisfaction and reducing vacancies and turnover. Educators earn more long-term—within recurring budgets.

These staffing designs, created with teachers, have been rigorously researched and meticulously improved over nearly 15 years, using data about features that work best for students and educators. Dozens of options for small teaching teams led by excellent teachers offer schools design flexibility within data-based guardrails—to maximize learning while adjusting details to fit each school’s needs. Teams may include teacher residencies and apprenticeships as well as specialized roles, such as a special education team leader.

One Chatham: Literacy growth fueled by focus and a little fire

February 23, 2026

From EdNC, by Amy Rhyne, February 23, 2026

[Note: Chatham County Schools uses Opportunity Culture® staffing design]

In education, perception can sometimes move faster than facts. Opinions are formed without ever stepping inside the school building. A single letter, spoken loudly enough, can become shorthand for quality and shape a school’s reputation, influencing enrollment decisions and community trust. For two schools in Chatham County Schools, a “D” letter grade did just that. Although dismissed by reputation alone, a different story was unfolding inside the classrooms — one built on alignment, leadership, and intentional instructional change

The shift did not begin with a slogan or public campaign. It began with committed leaders and staff.

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A Rural “Force Multiplier”—Opportunity Culture® Design: Superintendent Anthony Jackson

February 17, 2026

Chatham County Superintendent Anthony Jackson, named as the 2020 North Carolina Superintendent of the Year while serving as superintendent of Vance County Schools, says districts—especially rural systems—can do far more if they focus investments on the capacity of their staff. A self-proclaimed “disciple” of the Opportunity Culture® initiative, he has led both districts to take calculated risks leading to strong learning outcomes for students. 

From plan to practice: How Nash County Schools is aligning time, materials, and people to strengthen early literacy

February 16, 2026

From EdNC, Amy Rhyne, February 16, 2026

[Note: Nash County Schools uses Opportunity Culture® staffing design]

When state law required every North Carolina school district to submit an annual Literacy Intervention Plan (LIP) by Oct. 1, the mandate was clear. What has been less clear until recently is what strong implementation actually looks like once the paperwork is submitted.

That question came into focus during a recent report to the North Carolina State Board of Education, where one district’s work was spotlighted as having moved well beyond compliance.

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WCS reports successes as system continues work to improve education

February 11, 2026

From The Warren Record, By Luci Weldon Feb 11, 2026

The superintendent said that Warren County Schools is continuing a number of measures to improve local education. To increase teacher recruitment and retention, the school system is participating in the Opportunity Culture® Grant, which allows teachers to mentor and coach other teachers while continuing their student instruction roles. Another program is designed to help other school system employees who would like to become teacher.

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“Teachers Are Screaming for This Level of Support”: Charlotte Superintendent Crystal Hill

February 10, 2026

For Charlotte-Mecklenburg Superintendent Crystal Hill, leading 185 schools and 141,000 students, success means providing deep support for a staff that now sees 60 percent of its teachers coming from a non-traditional background. The district, a pioneer in piloting Opportunity Culture® team teaching models and in quickly scaling up to many more schools, posted dramatic learning growth results in 2024–24. What has it taken to get there, and how will the district try to sustain those results? Dr. Hill shares her thoughts with host Sharon Kebschull Barrett and Public Impact® Co-President Bryan Hassel.

How today’s superintendents are building engines of community

February 10, 2026

From District Administration, by Matt Zalaznick, February 10, 2026

Retaining high-quality teachers strengthens the community inside the district, says Dr. Stephanie D. Howard, superintendent of Texas’ Midland Independent School District. In her experience in a smaller district, reducing class size was not the answer to driving student achievement. When she took the helm at Midland in 2023, the district was struggling with inexperienced educators and substitute-filled classrooms. To tackle retention and student achievement, Howard focused on Midland’s partially implemented “Opportunity Culture” model. The approach extends the reach of highly effective teachers and embeds coaching within small, empowered teams.

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Education Department embraces team-based staffing in new guidance

February 9, 2026

From K-12 Dive, Anna Merod, February 9, 2026

The Education Department’s push for strategic staffing models, particularly team-based instruction, comes as these newer kinds of solutions to improve teacher recruitment and retention are gaining traction in districts nationwide.

Public Impact, a for-profit organization that has created a similar team-based staffing approach known as Opportunity Culture, saw over 1,000 schools implementing or planning to use its staffing designs in 2024-25. More than 90% of those schools are eligible for Title I funds. 

Opportunity Culture also announced in February that 25 additional school systems will use its staffing model in 2026 through state funding in New Mexico and North Carolina as well as private funding in Oklahoma. 

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February 2026 Newsletter: What Retained Teachers in 3 Schools

February 3, 2026

A record number of school systems will begin using Opportunity Culture® staffing designs this year, with 25 systems across New Mexico, North Carolina, and Oklahoma joining the Opportunity Culture in 2026® initiative—read more about this exciting news in our latest newsletter. Plus we shine a spotlight on Carlsbad Municipal School to reveal how district leaders, principals, and MCL™ teams supported changes that led to state-leading growth. All that, plus news, upcoming events, and tools to use now in our February 2026 newsletter!