Ensuring a smooth transition to the powerful team roles in Opportunity Culture implementation—and sustaining strong implementation every year—requires Opportunity Culture sites and their schools to communicate early, consistently, and effectively.
- Communications leaders should start with the Communication Planner to guide all efforts in planning, disseminating, and evaluating all Opportunity Culture communications. Accompanying the Communications Action Planner are several communications tools.
- The planner goes through action steps for each portion of the year, rooted in great practices in Opportunity Culture districts and lessons that other districts have learned about their communication efforts.
- See also the Recruitment Toolkit—early, active recruitment and strong communications are essential to reach great candidates.
Tools & Resources for Communications Leaders
Introduction to an Opportunity Culture: For educators, policymakers, and anyone else interested in dramatic improvements in education, this short slide deck with brief speaker notes provides a useful overview of why students and educators need an Opportunity Culture, how it works, the research supporting it, what states and districts can do to support it, and a list of more resources
Sample Opportunity Culture Webpage(s): Use our template to create your own Opportunity Culture webpages to communicate your district/CMO’s vision and post job descriptions. (Webpages are password protected – contact us for access.)
Recruitment Toolkit: The four-step action planner and related tools take Opportunity Culture sites and their schools through the major steps of a successful recruiting effort for Opportunity Culture schools. Opportunity Culture sites should begin recruiting each year ideally in November or December and no later than March, to attract a large pool of excellent candidates and capture their interest before they commit to other jobs.
Communication Planner: The planner and related tools help Opportunity Culture sites and their schools communicate consistently and effectively about the development and implementation of their Opportunity Culture plans.
School Key Messages Template: Use this tool to draft messages about your Opportunity Culture plans
Talking Points for Superintendents and Implementation Leaders (also available in Spanish).
Sample District Letter to Teachers: Adapt this letter to explain the benefits of Opportunity Culture to your whole staff.
Introduction to Parents: Use this sample letter to communicate changes to parents (also available in Spanish).
Public Impact helps districts/CMOs and schools during the initial planning stage; contact us for further help and to access any support tools not yet published.
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