In the Media

From Chattanooga Times Free Press, June 28, 2021, by Anika Chaturvedi

Lipscomb University received a $100,000 grant from the Tennessee Department of Education to further develop its partnership with Hamilton County Schools and other school districts through the Grow Your Own teacher preparation program.

The Grow Your Own program aims to increase the number of teaching candidates from various backgrounds and education levels, and the grants fund tuition, fees, supplies and licensure for participating students. It’s one of several initiatives with Hamilton County Schools, such as Project Inspire, to boost the quantity of teachers and recruit more diverse candidates. Read more…

From Midland-Reporter Telegram, June 21, 2021

Public Impact is pleased to announce that Midland ISD Principal Christin Reeves of Emerson Elementary, and an Ector ISD principal, Susan Hendricks of Ross Elementary, have been selected as members of the 2021–22 Opportunity Culture Fellows.

This cohort of Opportunity Culture Fellows is made up of eight principals from North Carolina, Texas, Arkansas, Illinois, Tennessee, and Maryland who have achieved strong results in their schools and districts. The national Opportunity Culture initiative, founded by Public Impact and now in more than 45 sites in 10 states, extends the reach of excellent teachers and their teams to more students, for more pay, within schools’ recurring budgets. Read more…

From OA Online, June 18, 202

Public Impact has announced the seventh cohort of Opportunity Culture Fellows, made up of eight principals, including one from Ector County ISD, who have achieved strong results in their schools and districts.

Fellows provide support to their cohort, take one another’s ideas back to their schools, write columns or lead webinars about their experiences, and speak locally and nationally about their Opportunity Culture roles. Their feedback and leadership are invaluable in helping to improve the Opportunity Culture initiative, and all materials related to it. Last year, for example, fellows shared their expertise in these webinars and columns. Read more…

From Washington County Enterprise-Leader, June 16, 2021, by Lynn Kutter

Lincoln Middle School helped to pilot a new program during the 2019-20 school year, and for 2021, it has been named a model school for the program.

The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education with the state department of education recently announced that Lincoln Middle School and Forrest City Junior High School had both been named a 2021 Arkansas Opportunity Culture Model School for their efforts to “improve student access to a high-quality education by extending the reach of excellent teachers to more students.”

News West 9, May 20, 2021, by Mason Storrs

Many local teachers and students are seeing increased opportunity and educational success due to the resources they are receiving from Opportunity Culture, a program that restructures pre-K through 12th grade school staffing.

The partnership between Midland ISD, Ector County ISD, The University of Texas Permian Basin, Public Impact and US Prep is aimed at offering educators an opportunity to reach more students, for more pay, within their schools’ budgets. Read More…

From Newton County Times, May 6, 2021

Because of their efforts to improve student access to a high-quality education by extending the reach of excellent teachers to more students, the Arkansas Department of Education’s Division of Elementary and Secondary Education recognized two schools as Arkansas Opportunity Culture Model Schools.
Forrest City Junior High School in the Forrest City School District and Lincoln Middle School in the Lincoln School District recently received surprise visits from DESE team members informing them of the recognition. Read More…

From Education Week, May 4, 2021, by Madeline Will

The coronavirus pandemic and resulting lockdowns have permanently shifted the way many industries think about how and where people work. But will school districts follow suit and embrace workplace flexibility?

The model of one teacher standing in front of a class for six or seven hours a day has changed very little in decades. That’s despite persistent pushes for schools to adopt more flexible approaches, like team-based teaching or assigning teachers’ roles based on their expertise.

From K-12 Dive, March 22, 2021, by Kara Arundel

School system leaders are cautiously optimistic that the 2021-22 school year will see more students learning in-person and that the school day will resemble pre-pandemic routines, but with safety protocols in place. Increased vaccine administration for adults and the hope of childhood vaccines this fall, winter or early in 2022 are helping drive this confidence.

Superintendents, however, say it’s difficult to predict the status of the pandemic five months from now. That uncertainty is pushing them to prepare for multiple scenarios as COVID-19 continues to be a major health crisis. Read more…

From OA Online, March 22, 2021, by Ruth Campbell

A program to place effective teachers in front of more Ector County ISD students is expanding this coming school year to more campuses.

Executive Director of Talent Development Ashley Osborne said 10 campuses are going to be added to the Opportunity Culture arsenal. The district currently has eight Opportunity Culture campuses.

The ECISD website says Opportunity Culture is “an innovative approach to staffing that multiplies the impact of highly effective teachers, thereby improving student performance.” No longer available online.

From The Hill, March 13, 2021, by Thomas Toch and Lynn Olson