This role is for teachers with a record of high-growth student learning who lead a small subject or grade teaching team, for much higher pay, within regular school budgets. They continue to teach some portion of the time, in various ways. These team leaders lead lesson planning, data analysis, and instructional changes through coaching, co-teaching, modeling, and collaborating with their team teachers, and they lead the creation of a tutoring culture. They take accountability for the learning outcomes of all the students the team serves. The Multi-Classroom Leadership™ model creates a strong environment of support, collaboration, and on-the-job professional learning for teachers; this also provides districts with an internal leadership development pipeline.

Some or all of the teachers on a Multi-Classroom Leader^® team may be in Team Reach Teacher™ roles, who directly teach more students than usual, typically without raising instructional group sizes. These teachers receive the guidance and support of the team leader, and the team also has paraprofessional Reach Associate™ support. Educators in Master Team Reach Teacher™ roles, who also have a track record of high-growth student learning, assist with team leadership. (In schools that joined the Opportunity Culture^® initiative before 2018–19, some reach-extending teachers work on an MCL™ team, while others teach independently. Schools planning and implementing Opportunity Culture^® roles since that time always place these teachers on MCL™ teams.) Teachers in the TRT™ role, on average, move student learning growth up 27 percentile points after joining an MCL™ team, according to independent researchers.

Team teachers work on an MCL™ team, receiving intensive support from the team leader and working collaboratively as a team to review student progress and adjust instruction to ensure high-progress learning for every student. Each team teacher is accountable to the leader for their contributions to the learning outcomes of each student, with specific goals and measures dependent on the role each plays. Team teachers, on average, move student learning growth up 27 percentile points after joining an MCL™ team, according to independent researchers.

Opportunity Culture^® teaching teams also include the Reach Associate™ and teacher resident roles. In the Reach Associate™ role, advanced paraprofessionals support MCL™ teams and tutor students in small groups. They get heavy guidance from the team leader on lessons, student groups, and classroom management. Teacher residents in modified Reach Associate™ roles also tutor, and they learn the full teaching role while earning pay and benefits.