This edition of our newsletter features a research study from Texas showing that students with Opportunity Culture teachers achieved higher reading and math achievement at all grade levels.

Researchers Report Strong Student Learning Results in Texas Opportunity Culture District

Researchers from Texas Tech University report that students served by Opportunity Culture multi-classroom leader teaching teams achieved learning growth in the top quartile teamwide, on average, according to their study of the Ector County Independent School District’s first Opportunity Culture year. 

The district asked the researchers to conduct an independent review of its first eight Opportunity Culture schools, which began using Opportunity Culture roles in 2020–21 with 27 multi-classroom leaders. In those first schools, 72% of students—7,121 out of 9,928 students at the schools—were reached by an Opportunity Culture team. This year, the district has 17 Opportunity Culture schools and 59 multi-classroom leaders.

The national Opportunity Culture initiative aims to reach many more students with excellent teachers and their teams, for more pay, within regular school budgets. In an Opportunity Culture school, a multi-classroom leader—a teacher with a track record of high-growth student learning—leads lesson planning, data analysis, instructional changes, and coaching for a small team, while continuing to teach some portion of the time. Accountable for team results, multi-classroom leaders earn a supplement that averages more than 20% of base pay nationally; in Ector County, this ranges from 26% to 35% of base pay. School teams of teachers and administrators choose how to use Opportunity Culture roles and their school budgets to address their school needs. 

The researchers highlighted just how positive the results were for all students, and especially for English language learners and students considered socioeconomically at risk. 

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