From EdNC, March 18, 2025 by Bryan Hassel and Sharon Contreras
Are school districts that face a shortage of qualified teacher-leaders simply stuck? For districts using Opportunity Culture strategic staffing models, not anymore. Leaders in Edgecombe and Rockingham county districts, supported by our organizations, are collaborating and expanding the reach of excellent teachers.
Opportunity Culture roles, created by Public Impact, make it possible for schools to have small teaching teams led by a teacher with a record of student success and adult leadership competencies. This Multi-Classroom Leader (MCL) role gets a significant pay supplement, made possible by school budget reallocations, and takes formal accountability for the results of all the team’s students.
In Rockingham County, the district prioritized math for the first MCL teams it implemented. But Reidsville High School Principal Erica Blackwell said a search last summer did not lead to the right candidate for a Math 1 team leader.
That didn’t mean her students were stuck, though. Rockingham and Edgecombe are part of a five-district TIP-Opportunity Culture consortium that came together in 2024 to design their strategic staffing models and MCL teams. So when the shortage arose, so did a cross-district opportunity.