Tools for Teachers & Teacher-Leaders in Opportunity Culture Schools

Whether you are a multi-classroom leader (MCL) leading a teaching team or extending your reach directly as a team reach teacher, your instructional excellence and leadership matter more than ever. Use these tools, informed by the advice and stories of successful Opportunity Culture educators, to help you emulate and build upon the practices of the best Opportunity Culture teachers and teacher-leaders nationally. Any empowered teacher-leader will find the tools helpful.

Launch your team and lead them to ensure a culture of instructional excellence:

• Multi-Classroom Leader Action Planner (Word)—to see each season in its own document, click on the following links: Summer; Fall; Winter; Spring
• Priority Dashboard (Excel)—any school can use this tool to track success
• Organizational Chart Template—Multi-Classroom Leader Teams (Word)—a tool for MCLs leading Opportunity Culture teams
• Leading a Team (Word)—a one-page summary
• MCL Team Meeting Sample Agendas (Word)—to help MCLs plan a cycle of team meetings focused on lesson planning, delivery, and data analysis, see here for a package of team meeting agendas. These agendas highlight what MCL teams should focus on: backward planning, team collaboration, and public practice of lesson delivery. Agendas include task analysis, analyzing student work, unit planning, lesson planning, rehearsal protocol, and data analysis.
• Education Leaders’ Summary Action List (Word)—a one-page quick review of all action areas
• Instructional Excellence Summary (PDF)—the critical elements of instructional excellence in one page
• Instructional Leadership and Excellence: The Key Elements (Web)—dive deeply into improving instructional excellence and leadership, with more tools, videos, training, and PLC discussions

Manage yourself, and support and develop your team:

• Teacher Selection and Evaluation toolkits (Web)—including job descriptions and competencies for success
• Multi-Classroom Leader Competencies Self-Assessment (Word)—rate yourself on the competencies an MCL needs to understand areas you can develop
• School Turnaround Teachers: Competencies for Success (PDF)

Plan ahead and raise sights:

• Recommended High-Quality Curricula: Detailed Summary for Curriculum & Instruction Professionals (PDF)
• Recommended High-Quality Curricula: Leadership Summary (PDF)