In the Media

From EdNC, January 31, 2019

In the latest round of funding for the state’s Advanced Teaching Roles pilot, the North Carolina State Board of Education awarded grants to three districts that will implement Opportunity Culture roles—Halifax County and Hertford County in eastern North Carolina and Lexington City Schools in Davidson County.

From The Daily Reflector, January 28, 2019

A public-private educational partnership will augment mathematics instruction at North Pitt High School this semester as part of a project to partner remote expertise with teachers on site at schools statewide.

From The Daily Dispatch, January 28, 2019, by Miles Bates

Stanford Wickham, a Vance County High School math teacher who also teaches Advanced Placement calculus to seniors, is part of a team of teachers that Maria Hernandez of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics is leading in a pilot program aimed at furthering access to excellent teaching across the state. No longer available online.

From Rocky Mount Telegram, January 21, 2019, by Amelia Harper

As the Opportunity Culture teaching model expands to historic proportions in Edgecombe County Public Schools, the school district is hosting its first job fair for teacher leadership positions on Saturday. The Opportunity Culture Teacher Leadership Job Fair will be held from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday in the atrium of Martin Millennium Academy at 400 East Johnson Street in Tarboro.

From Education Dive, January 14, 2019, by Shawna De La Rosa

School culture is important, but it can be difficult for administrators to control. Culture can impact student attendance, learning and test scores. It can even affect teacher retention. Once created, a culture is difficult to change since it’s reflective of student and educator attitudes. Administrators can create a plan for change, but it ultimately has to have buy-in from the school community.

From The Greensboro News & Record, January 14, 2019 by Jessie Pounds

After 10 years teaching English at Dudley High School, Ashley Ekwem-Thorpe had plenty of “Panther” pride, but also a desire for a new adventure. So this school year she applied for a new position advertised at Hairston Middle School, a feeder school to Dudley.

From EdNC, January 2, 2019, by Emily Ayscue Hassel and Bryan C. Hassel

As the founders of the Opportunity Culture initiative to extend the reach of great teaching to many more students, we keep a tight focus on how students and teachers benefit from Opportunity Culture implementation in their schools. In North Carolina — the largest implementation state so far, with 80 schools this year — the latest student growth numbers give one great example.

From The Hechinger Report, November 29, 2018 by Tara Garcia Mathewson

Edgecombe County Public Schools in rural North Carolina has long had trouble filling all of its open teaching positions. Historically, there just hasn’t been enough interest among qualified candidates. But that’s changing.

From Education Dive, November 20, 2018, by Allie Gross

A solution to teacher recruitment and retention may be hidden within a district’s staff, according to a new article in The Hechinger Report that details Opportunity Culture, a creative initiative where effective educators double as “teacher-leaders” and spend time coaching other teachers in a school.

From Education Week, October 16, 2018, by Madeline Will

Principal Mary Beck knew that in order to transform her Chicago high school’s staff culture, she had to go the distance—13.1 miles, to be exact.