Sharon Kebschull Barrett

Just as Opportunity Culture^® models were announced as the only “research-based” designs that New Mexico districts can adopt in the state’s new “Innovative Staffing” program, we saw the latest state data showing notable results in Carlsbad Municipal Schools:

⭐Highest growth in the state in the literacy proficiency rate among medium-size schools: Desert Willow Elementary, an 18.4% change from the previous year;

⭐Fourth-highest growth in the math proficiency rate among large schools: PR Leyva Intermediate, a 6.5% change from the previous year;

⭐Tenth-highest growth in the math proficiency rate among medium-size schools: Cottonwood Elementary, a 9.1% change from the previous year;

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In a new interview with Whiteboard Advisors, Ector County ISD Superintendent Emeritus Scott Muri reflected on how the district turned its student results and teacher recruitment and retention around.

Muri explained how using Opportunity Culture^® redesign fit into his biggest focus, human capital.

“The strategy was what I call “strategy braiding”—helping people see how multiple efforts connect to the same outcomes for kids. That included redesigning the traditional teacher role through Opportunity Culture, where teacher-leaders split their time between teaching and coaching peers. We restructured compensation with stackable pay—our highest-paid classroom teacher now earns $132,000—and we built multiple pipelines: our own educator preparation program, paraprofessional-to-teacher pathways, and fully funded residencies with local universities.”

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Congratulations to Person County Superintendent Rodney Peterson, named on October 9 as the 2026 A. Craig Phillips North Carolina Superintendent of the Year!

The national superintendent of the year will be named in February at the national conference of the American Association of School Administrators.

As the award announcement noted, the district is planning to “continue building systemic solutions that transform student achievement across the district.” Under Peterson’s leadership, Person County Schools went through a fast-track design process in the spring to begin using Multi-Classroom Leader^® teaching teams this year, to extend the reach of excellent teaching to more students through Opportunity Culture^® staffing design.

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North Carolina schools with Certified Opportunity Culture School^® status were two to three times more likely to exceed learning growth expectations than schools not using Opportunity Culture^® staffing design, 2024–25 data from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction shows.

Of all 258 schools with certification, 48% exceeded growth targets, compared with 25% of all schools in the state without these staffing designs.

Of the 222 Title I schools with certification, 43% exceeded growth targets, compared with 21% of Title I schools in the state without these designs.

The certified schools were also significantly less likely to fall short of growth expectations than comparable schools.

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Opportunity Culture^® teaching teams work, U.S. senators heard today in a Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions hearing on the state of K–12 education.

Ector County ISD Superintendent Emeritus Scott Muri was one of the hearing’s five witnesses. When he came to the district in the summer of 2019, he told the committee, “I was faced with 34,000 students, a staff of 4200, 45 schools. Twenty of those schools were ranked D or F by the state of Texas, with 16 of those schools receiving an F rating.

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Congratulations to Midland, Texas, Superintendent Stephanie Howard on the publication of her District Administration op-ed, How to keep teachers: Provide a complete package.

“District leaders say they want to keep great teachers. But how often do actions match the promise?” Howard wrote. “Too often, districts spend far more time doing what it takes to recruit teachers than to retain, equip and empower them. To retain teachers, they need a complete package of preparation, support, career growth and compensation—and now we know how to do just this.”

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Out today: Public Impact Co-President Bryan Hassel and Senior Vice President Kendall King joined the Learning Can't Wait podcast, sharing the background, results, and new possibilities of the Opportunity Culture initiative. To get motivated about giving every student...

There's a lot to read about in the latest newsletter! Check out the recap of the latest Opportunity Culture® data--big results showing how these roles outpace others in learning growth. We highlight the great things happening in Midland ISD, a Texas district in the...