Madison Parish School DistrictDistrict Spotlight: Combining HQIM and Opportunity Culture® Staffing DesignDISTRICT AT A GLANCE Location: Tallulah, LAEnrollment (2025): 1133Schools (2025): 4 Source: National Center for Education StatisticsIn the Madison Parish School...
Results for "How to Create a Tutoring Culture"
Research 2026
Research Shows ResultsOpportunity Culture® teams lead to strong student learning gains, research showsWhat do third-party research and learning growth data show about the effects of Opportunity Culture® staffing design and teaching teams? Read on, or use the “jump to”...
Breaking Through on Teacher Support: Pennsylvania, Mississippi Groups Call for State Action on Staffing Redesign
What would it take for states to listen to educators and support the talented people they already have in their schools? In Pennsylvania and Mississippi, two nonprofits recently sang the same tune: Support teachers and students through proven staffing redesign. Teach Plus PA and Mississippi First have issued calls to action by their states and districts that set an example for the nation.
Like them, we believe in the talented teachers schools already have, and in the power of staffing redesign to dramatically improve school for both students and teachers.
But in both states—and throughout the country—details matter deeply. States should not provide funding for a “let all flowers bloom” approach. Students and teachers need staffing design with a track record of success, state monitoring of design fidelity, and continuous improvement using data to maintain strong outcomes.
Carlsbad Municipal Schools
It all began with a fateful ride in a Chevy Suburban.
In 2022, Carlsbad, New Mexico, educators went on a Texas fact-finding mission to the Midland and Ector County school districts, checking out how they had restructured their staffing.
The trip was sparked by Carlsbad Deputy Superintendent LaVern Shan, a former Ector County principal who had begun to hear from colleagues there about Opportunity Culture® staffing models—and how they never wanted to be a principal anywhere that didn’t use them.
When she went back to see what all the fuss was about, Shan said she thought, “This is crazy. There is no way this would work. But I watched the data. I watched their vacancies. I’ve watched how things changed.”
Shan shared what she saw with Superintendent Gerry Washburn, and they took the 2022 trip with educators, school board members, and union officials.
“It gives me chills thinking about it,” Cottonwood Elementary School Principal Donna Johns said. “Right from the beginning, I was like, this is what we need. This is exactly what we need. …
How Some Texas Teachers Are Earning Six Figures — Without Leaving the Classroom
From The 74, by Sharon Kebschull Barrett, June 4, 2025
Ask teachers how much their pay matters, and they often shy away from a direct answer, feeling ashamed to admit they do their job for anything beyond a sheer love of helping students.
District leaders more openly acknowledge the importance of compensation, especially for teachers who must work a second job to make ends meet, and in regions that struggle to hire and retain educators.
But they can do more than just help their educators escape a two-job grind. In Texas, one district has made it possible for teachers to earn six-figure salaries without leaving the classroom — and without having to wait for decades.
Every state and district should make this their teachers’ reality.
How is it happening? Take a look at Midland Independent School District, in the Permian Basin.
Home Page Test
Excellent Student Results. Excellent Educator Careers.Redesign schools with research-proven staffing changes to roles, schedules, teacher residencies, instruction, and tutoring to reach all students with excellent teaching and all educators with excellent team-based...
Funding
Funding Our PartnershipFunding sources to support school design and PL that boost student learningOpportunity Culture® school designs are proven, evidence-based staffing designs that boost student learning by 2–13 months each school year—while increasing teacher...
366 Schools in 8 States Receive Certified Status
We are excited to announce that 366 schools in 28 districts in eight states have been awarded the new "Certified Opportunity Culture School™, Provisional Level, 2023–24" designation! Showing their commitment to reaching all students with excellent teaching,...
Dashboard: Teachers (2024)
Opportunity Culture® Dashboardsites | schools | students | growth | teachers | extra pay | survey As of 2024–25, 7,300+ teachers are in advanced, higher-paid Opportunity Culture® roles or are receiving on-the-job...
Because Kids Can’t Wait: Use Proven Teaching Teams Throughout Schools and Districts
With a decade of successful implementation behind us, here’s one thing we know: Opportunity Culture®strategic staffing is long past the pilot phase. Studies show the power of Opportunity Culture®roles and teaching teams, along with our own continual data tracking. That research and data focuses us on a key to success for 2024–25: reaching all students with Multi-Classroom Leadership™ teams…