From News and Record, October 12, 2019, by Jessie Pounds
Nine local schools that added a new staffing model for teachers last academic year saw student performance on key subjects improve more than Guilford County Schools as a whole, state test data show. Taken together, the schools that implemented “Opportunity Culture” last year improved more than the district as a whole in both reading and math at the fourth-, sixth- and seventh-grade levels.
student learning growth
High-Growth Learning, 56K Students Reached: Opportunity Culture® 2018–19
By Sharon Kebschull Barrett, March 7, 2019
As student learning continues to benefit, teachers want to keep and grow Opportunity Culture: That’s just one of the many findings and stats to report from the 2018-19 update of the Opportunity Culture data dashboard. Public Impact, which created and leads the national Opportunity Culture initiative, updates the dashboard annually. Read More…
Opportunity Culture® Schools in N.C. Outpace State on Student Growth
By Emily Ayscue Hassel and Bryan C. Hassel, first published by EducationNC, January 2, 2019.
As the founders of the Opportunity Culture initiative to extend the reach of great teaching to many more students, we keep a tight focus on how students and teachers benefit from Opportunity Culture implementation in their schools. Read More…
Opportunity Culture® by the Numbers: 2017-18 Dashboard Updates
By Sharon Kebschull Barrett, March 16, 2018
Public Impact analyzes the dashboard results so we can continually improve Opportunity Culture materials and our work with schools and districts. Our goals are to reach all students with excellent teaching and all teachers with outstanding career opportunities and support. Read More…
Analysis: New Study Finds Huge Student Learning Gains in Schools Where Teachers Mentor Their Colleagues as Multi-Classroom Leaders
By Emily Ayscue Hassel and Bryan Hassel, first published by The 74, February 13, 2018
In survey after survey, teachers report dissatisfaction with the professional development they receive. Many aren’t satisfied with their professional learning communities or coaching opportunities. Read More…
Brookings-AIR Study Finds Large Academic Gains in Opportunity Culture®
By Sharon Kebschull Barrett, January 11, 2018
Students in classrooms of team teachers led by “multi-classroom leaders” showed sizeable academic gains, according to a new study from the American Institutes for Research and the Brookings Institution. Read More…
Opportunity Culture® Voices: When Students Own Their Academic Results, They Transform Their Schools
When you’re not sure where to start, ask your students! Well, not always, but when I came to Charlotte, North Carolina’s James Martin Middle School as a multi-classroom leader in 2014, I felt overwhelmed. I started as the MCL for sixth grade, where for the previous...
Opportunity Culture® Voices: Extending Great Teachers’ Reach in Turnaround (or Any) Schools
What does the start of a school turnaround look like? When Mark Johnson left West Charlotte High School as his Teach for America stint ended, he likely could not have imagined a bright future for the school. I arrived a year later, in 2009. The high-poverty, highly...
Opportunity Culture® Voices: Scheduled for Success
When I became a multi-classroom leader for the exceptional children’s (EC's) team, I expected to be able to use my 15 years of experience as an EC teacher and dean of students to coach teachers, especially special education teachers, and help them grow. But I...
How 2 Pioneering Blended-Learning Teachers Extended Their Reach
What makes blended learning different in an Opportunity Culture®? As two pioneering high school teachers in North Carolina show in new vignettes, blended learning gives them a tool to reach 40 to 100 percent more students per class period with great teaching. Students...