Sharon Kebschull Barrett

Up to 3X Rate of High Learning Growth with Opportunity Culture Designs—New Data

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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Senators Hear About Opportunity Culture Results

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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Midland ISD Superintendent Op-Ed: To Keep Teachers, Provide Complete Package

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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How Some Texas Teachers Are Earning Six Figures — Without Leaving the Classroom

From The 74, by Sharon Kebschull Barrett, June 4, 2025

Ask teachers how much their pay matters, and they often shy away from a direct answer, feeling ashamed to admit they do their job for anything beyond a sheer love of helping students.

District leaders more openly acknowledge the importance of compensation, especially for teachers who must work a second job to make ends meet, and in regions that struggle to hire and retain educators.

But they can do more than just help their educators escape a two-job grind. In Texas, one district has made it possible for teachers to earn six-figure salaries without leaving the classroom — and without having to wait for decades.

Every state and district should make this their teachers’ reality.

How is it happening? Take a look at Midland Independent School District, in the Permian Basin. 

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Listen: Public Impact on the Learning Can’t Wait Podcast

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...

In the Latest Newsletter, Good News for Students and Teachers

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...

Reset for Success: Hear From Midland Superintendent in New Audio

When Superintendent Stephanie Howard came to Midland ISD in the Permian Basin of Texas, she knew what success with Opportunity Culture® teaching team models should look like, after working with them in neighboring Ector County ISD as a deputy superintendent. Although Midland ISD was using these teams as well, several Opportunity Culture® fundamentals weren’t being followed.

I talked with Howard and Jessie Garcia, who also worked with the models in Ector County, about how they led Midland through a complete implementation reset—an effort now paying off in learning growth for students, sustainable higher pay for teacher-leaders that can reach six figures, and stronger teacher support and retention. Hear how they did it in our latest audio piece—and don’t miss the bonus “go big or go home” clip from Superintendent Howard!

Opportunity Culture® Cohorts and Collaboration: EdNC Op-Eds

Thanks to EdNC.org this week for publishing two op-eds by the leaders of The Innovation Project (TIP) and Public Impact, focused on exciting district strategic staffing collaboration in North Carolina. Photo courtesy of The Innovation Project Photo courtesy of The...

What Do Superintendents Say About Opportunity Culture® Models?

Scott Muri Jason van Heukelum Valerie Bridges Cindy Bennett Anthony Jackson We can tell you all about how district leaders laud Opportunity Culture® models. But as every great writing teacher ever has said, “show, don’t tell.” So to show you what superintendents...

The Opportunity Culture® 2024 Year in Review: So Much to Celebrate!

A district with strong use of—and strong support for—Opportunity Culture® models was named district of the year. Congratulations to Ector County ISD in Odessa, Texas! K–12 Dive reported that the percentage of high school seniors considered prepared for postsecondary success jumped from 56% to 88% between 2019 and…