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Third-party studies have found that, on average, teachers who joined Opportunity Culture multi-classroom leaders’ teams moved from producing 50th percentile student learning growth to 77th percentile student learning growth.
- A 2018 study looked at implementation in three early Opportunity Culture districts
- A 2021 study looked at a Texas district’s outcomes during the 2020–21 pandemic year.
In the Texas study, the researchers highlighted how positive the results were for English language learners and students considered socioeconomically at risk—particularly notable during a pandemic.
When we apply the method of Stanford researchers* to these results to convert the data into years of learning, we see that they equate to an extra half-year of learning for students each year, on average—just by just by having an MCL with prior high growth guide the team.
And in the Texas study, the nearly 2,000 English learners taught by Opportunity Culture teams had even larger reading gains—again using the Stanford researchers’ method, that meant an extra 1.3 years of learning compared with other English learners.
The Texas study looked at outcomes in the Ector County Independent School District; the 2018 study from Brookings and AIR for the CALDER Center looked at implementation in three early Opportunity Culture districts.
The Opportunity Culture initiative has been recognized by numerous policy leaders as an effective Covid recovery strategy.
As districts and charter management organizations struggle to cope with worsening staff shortages and pandemic-related student learning concerns, education research groups, advocacy organizations, and state and federal offices have suggested Opportunity Culture models as one strategy to consider for Covid recovery. Learn more about Opportunity Culture supports for post-Covid education here.
Opportunity Culture educators express strong satisfaction with their roles.
In early 2021, teachers and staff in Opportunity Culture roles across the country answered a series of questions about their schools and their jobs. The survey results showed that 98% of multi-classroom leaders (MCLs) and 90% of all staff on MCL teams would like the Opportunity Culture initiative to continue in their schools. In countless interviews, educators have expressed how much they like their roles and what a positive impact Opportunity Culture models have had on teacher recruitment and retention and on student achievement. Read what educators have to say here!
*In this method, 0.25 standard deviations = 1 year of learning. See: Hanushek, E., Peterson, P., & Woessmann, L. (2012, Fall). Is the U.S. Catching Up? International and State Trends in Student Achievement. Education Next. Retrieved from http://hanushek.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/publications/Hanushek%2BPeterson%2BWoessmann%202012%20EdNext%2012%284%29.pdf.
Using the method, we see that converting the data into years of learning equated to an extra 0.2 to 0.8 years of learning in reading and an extra 0.3 to 0.7 years of learning in math.
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