Before Vance County Schools began designing its Opportunity Culture® staffing models in 2017–18, the district struggled with teacher turnover and higher pay supplements offered by nearby districts. Based in Henderson, N.C., the district began implementing the models in three elementary schools the following year to serve as “incubators of innovation” before expanding into four more schools…
What’s Happening
Opportunity Culture® News and Views
TN SCORE Case Studies Highlight Strong Results for Four Districts Using Opportunity Culture Models
“Despite the state’s recent investment in salaries and new pathways into the [teaching] profession, these strategies in isolation, while important, are asking Tennessee’s current students to ‘play the long game.’ “While Tennessee’s most recent initiatives are...
Quick Tips Webinar: Planning Ahead for Next Year
How do great educators use the results of one school year to plan and launch the next? In April, two excellent teaching team leaders shared how they first do a deep review of the hits and misses of the current year; join us for two more free, 30-minute webinars to...
“Reflect to Prep” Webinar: Using This Year’s Results to Plan Ahead for the Next School Year
How do great educators pause to review the hits and misses of the current year to set themselves up for planning and launching the next year? In the first of our three-part, quick-tips series, excellent teaching team leaders will share how they both do this themselves...
Prep for the Testing Homestretch with Data: March Webinar
As schools prepare for end-of-year testing, how can teachers and teaching team leaders use data to motivate students and teachers and celebrate learning growth? Join us for a free, 45-minute webinar on March 14, led by Erin Burns Mehigan, a former teacher-leader...
Creating Daily, Job-Embedded Support for Special Education Teachers
How can schools provide stronger support for special education teachers? Schools we work with generally start their strategic staffing planning by creating small Multi-Classroom Leader® teams—grade- or subject-based teaching teams led a teacher with a record of student learning growth, who takes formal accountability for the team’s student results, for more pay. But some schools have begun to see the need for creating similar teams specifically for special education (SPED) teachers. Here’s an early look at what schools in two districts are doing, in the hopes of strengthening teacher retention and recruitment and better serving students…
All Hands on Deck in 2024 for Students and Teachers!
In the new year, we know schools and districts are going after big results for students and teachers. We’re launching into 2024 focused on helping them get and support all hands on deck! Check out our latest Opportunity Culture Newsletter, with information on registering for Opportunity Culture SIMPLE™ Tutoring Design Series—one session or all of five, starting February 1, or the live, virtual Introduction to School Staffing Design with Results™ on January 30 that helps participants unlock the 5 Opportunity Culture Design Principles…
For Strong Educator Recruitment, Start Now: Tips from Opportunity Culture® District Leaders
For Nicole Hayes, recruiting educators to Nash County Public Schools means facing some stiff competition. Nash County abuts the much larger—and much wealthier—Wake County Public Schools in North Carolina.
And yet, “we’ve been able to retain teachers and bring some back to our district who left to go to Wake because their [pay] supplements are way higher,” she said.
Hayes, Nash’s Opportunity Culture director, and her peers in other districts of varying size have successfully improved their recruitment efforts for Opportunity Culture educator roles using some of the same strategies—garnering their districts not only more, but also stronger, applicants.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Montgomery County, & Fort Worth School Districts Receive Federal Grant for Wide Use of Opportunity Culture® Models
We’re excited about our latest news! Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Fort Worth ISD, and Montgomery County Public Schools have been awarded a $7.7 million federal TSL grant for widespread implementation of Opportunity Culture innovative staffing models, which CMS pioneered with Public Impact’s support in 2013. With the grant, CMS will expand its use of these models to all of its schools over three years, while the Fort Worth and Montgomery County districts will launch and expand the models over three years.
Succeeding—and Paying It Forward—as an International MTRT
When Raissa Renacia arrived from the Philippines in 2019 to teach math in Ector County, Texas, she had a lot of questions.
From where to find rice to how to manage an American classroom, Renacia found herself wishing she had one person to give her answers. Today, in her third year in the Master Team Reach Teacher (MTRT) role, she’s become that mentor for other international teachers.