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Education after the Pandemic

From National Affairs, Winter 2022, by Frederick M. Hess

Until March 2020, American schooling looked much like it had in 1920. Despite new technologies, ever-increasing outlays, and wave after wave of reform, the rhythms and routines of America’s schools were little changed. Students set out from their homes to school in the early morning, sat in front of a teacher in primary school or a series of teachers in secondary school, sporadically used the latest technologies, and then headed home. Dress codes, popular pedagogies, the number of adults in the building, and the technology may have changed, but what students and teachers actually do had not. Read more…

Three more schools to implement Opportunity Culture® for teachers

From OA Online, December 16, 2021

Ector County ISD has announced three new schools that will be joining Opportunity Culture for the 2022-2023 school year. These three schools will collaborate with Public Impact and ECISD Talent Development this spring to undergo the school design process. The 2022-2023 Opportunity Culture Cohort C campuses are Cavazos Elementary, San Jacinto Elementary, and Buddy West Elementary. Read more…

Opportunity Culture® offers teachers flexibility and support through team-based model

From Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, December 3, 2021, by Meghan Ensell

The country experienced a “hangover” from the last workforce-oriented push in education, which focused on teacher evaluation and within that, far too much on ridding schools of the least effective teachers, says Bryan Hassel, co-president of Public Impact, an education policy and management consulting firm in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Read more…

Opportunity Culture® Schools Create Growth for Students – and Teachers!

From Baltimore City Public Schools, December 2, 2021

Collaboration, encouragement, guidance, and support are pivotal for growth. When educators collaborate, students benefit. Two years ago, City Schools launched Opportunity Culture to help educators do just that. Since then, this unique program has expanded exponentially — from three Opportunity Culture Schools in 2019 to 20 this school year, now impacting 7,000 City Schools students supported by the collaboration of more than 150 educators. And several more City Schools principals are currently exploring bringing this program to their schools. Read more…

HISD names two officers for leadership roles

From Houston ISD, November 17, 2021

Superintendent Millard House II has named Jeremy Grant-Skinner as chief talent officer and Dr. Shawn Bird as chief academic officer of the Houston Independent School District. Mr. Grant-Skinner brings a wealth of experience to HISD. He began his career as a first-grade teacher in Baltimore City Public Schools, where he later served as chief human capital officer from 2017 to 2021. With his leadership, Baltimore achieved record-high teacher retention, record-low teacher vacancies, and new highs in the number of Latinx and Black male teachers. Mr. Grant-Skinner launched Opportunity Culture programs expanding teacher leadership and development opportunities in Baltimore and in Syracuse, NY. Read more…

A great teacher reflects on remote instruction shortfalls

By Sharon Kebschull Barrett, first published by EducationNC, September 22, 2021

Jimmel Williams knows great teachers. After all, he is one, with the student results to show for it. But last fall, he says now, his teaching fell short.

With his Charlotte students all learning remotely, his efforts felt off, though he couldn’t fully put his finger on what wasn’t working. He kept making changes each week to get students more engaged in their learning, but the tweaks weren’t enough. Finally, he realized what he needed — to both take tighter control and give some up. Read More…

District hires associate super

From OA Online, September 15, 2021

The Ector County ISD Board of Trustees voted 6-0 to approve Anthony Sorola as associate superintendent of operations. Sorola, who was OK’d during a Tuesday night workshop, replaces Stephanie Howard, who is now superintendent at Crane ISD….

… An evaluation of Opportunity Culture conducted by Texas Tech University indicates that the program is working well in Ector County ISD, especially during a pandemic year. According to the presentation, students perform better on standardized tests when taught by teachers in the Opportunity Culture program. Read More…

One teacher’s message for Secretary Cardona

By Sharon Kebschull Barrett, first published by EducationNC, August 16, 2021

When multi-classroom leader Kenyatta Davenport got the chance to talk to U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, her message was simple: Teachers haven’t given up, but we need your support to get students back on track after the coronavirus — and fast.

Simple — and short, since she had limited time to speak to Cardona when he visited Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools on July 12. But Davenport would definitely tell him more if she had the time. Read More…

Education Partnership gets Grow Our Own update

From OA Online, August 17, 2021

Grow Our Own, one of the newer committees under the Education Partnership of the Permian Basin, is busy gathering data to figure out next steps. This was one of several committee reports shared in an Education Partnership of the Permian Basin Zoom meeting Tuesday. Grow Our Own focuses on strengthening educational pathways and experiences for students that are parallel to the workforce needs of Permian Basin businesses….

….“From a retention perspective and a recruitment perspective, it’s a significant opportunity for teachers in our area,” ECISD Superintendent Scott Muri said. “… We will have teachers in ECISD that will make over six figures next year for the very first time. That’s because of TIA and coupled with Opportunity Culture.” Read more…