MISD

Midland ISD’s Opportunity Culture empowers teachers and elevates student success

By Midland Times, October 10, 2025

Opportunity Culture is making significant changes within the Midland Independent School District (ISD) by emphasizing teacher development and improved student outcomes.

According to a Meta post, this innovative model empowers educators to advance into leadership roles such as Master Team Reach Teachers (MTRTs) and Multi-Classroom Leaders (MCLs). These positions enable them to share their expertise, mentor colleagues, and reach more students with high-quality instruction. The teacher-leaders play a crucial role in enhancing instruction across campuses. By coaching and supporting their teams, they build capacity within the district, creating a ripple effect of excellence that benefits both educators and learners. The result is a collaborative culture where continuous learning and professional development drive student achievement.

“Being a part of Opportunity Culture has shaped me into a better learner and leader, challenging me to step outside my comfort zone and discover strengths I didn’t know I had,” said Michaela Arrott-Rodriguez, a fourth-grade math MCL at Burnett Elementary. “I love the challenges, the friendships, and the constant opportunities to grow. What I cherish most is the sense of belonging and support—being part of a team where we inspire and uplift each other every day has made this journey truly meaningful.”

The post noted that through Opportunity Culture, Midland ISD continues to invest in its educators—recognizing that when teachers are supported, inspired, and given room to lead, students thrive. This commitment to growth and collaboration exemplifies the district’s mission to enhance student experience and develop staff.

How to keep teachers: Provide a complete package

From District Administration, by Dr. Stephanie Howard, September 12, 2025

District leaders say they want to keep great teachers. But how often do actions match the promise?

Too often, districts spend far more time doing what it takes to recruit teachers than to retain, equip and empower them. To retain teachers, they need a complete package of preparation, support, career growth and compensation—and now we know how to do just this.

Our profession has operated on a revolving-door mentality—a person leaves and we hire a person to replace them—instead of thinking about how we can build on the expertise we already have and using our best talent to impact more people.

With these teams, leaders and teachers can earn more by extending their reach to more students, and we make sure the extra pay is sustainable by reallocating regular budgets.

Advanced paraprofessionals and paid, yearlong teacher residents focus on leading small-group tutoring, providing meaningful support to their teams and creating a clear path into teaching—where they feel set up for success from day one.

The good news is that this complete package of educator support leads to powerful results for students. In Midland ISD, we have seen this firsthand since resetting our Opportunity Culture staffing model; 18 of 22 schools saw learning gains. One school went from a state-assigned “D” letter grade to a B, increasing by 25 points; many others went up by at least 12 points.

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Multi-Classroom Leaders help to improve MISD student success

From First Alert 7, by Rachel Fortunato, February 12, 2025

MIDLAND, Texas (KOSA) – Over the past few years, MISD has been teaching its teachers how to be Multi-Classroom Leaders otherwise known as MCLs. The district says teachers that have become Multi-Classroom Leaders have led to student success overall. The program allows teachers to serve as coaches and mentors for other teachers and train them in proven instructional techniques.

“What a great way to help other teachers,” said Emily Terry, an MCL and 6th Grade Math Teacher for Midland ISD.

Read the full story here…

MISD welcomes visitors to highlight strategic staffing initiative

From Odessa American, November 7, 2024

The visit included campus tours, observing classrooms at South Elementary and Alamo Junior High, and interacting with Multi-Classroom Leaders (MCLs). MCLs are high-performing teachers who are selected to lead and coach groups of teachers to train them on instructional strategies and ongoing mentorship. Aside from the leadership opportunities, MCLs also earn financial stipends of up to $17,000 per year.

Visitors also had the opportunity to learn how the Opportunity Culture model can be implemented in their own districts. Topics of discussion included training and selection of MCLs, instructional support, and strategic staffing all designed to improve student outcomes.

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Click here for information on attending upcoming site visits to districts using Opportunity Culture®​ models.