Despite a steady national drumbeat about the power of high-dosage tutoring to help students rebound from the dramatic post-Covid learning dip, the National Center for Education Statistics reported on Wednesday that such tutoring reaches only about one in 10 students. Although 37 percent of schools reported that they offer high-dosage tutoring—that is, at least a […]
How Opportunity Culture Models Strengthen Educator Professional Learning
In Building Better PL: How to Strengthen Teacher Learning, researchers Heather Hill and John Papay highlight six key design features of effective professional learning, or PL. Those features fall under two general principles for effective PL—it supports teachers’ day-to-day practice, and it involves accountability for change and improvement. Opportunity Culture schools, which provide routine, job-embedded […]
Scaling up the best parts of learning pod staffing
New from Public Impact and the Center on Reinventing Public Education:How could the best aspects of learning pod staffing be scaled up? “Pandemic pods” created new opportunities for adults interested in supporting children’s education. In these pods—established by families, school districts, and microschools—teachers had the chance to work with much smaller groups of students than […]
Arkansas, Texas, Virginia, and North Carolina School Systems Join National Opportunity Culture Initiative
Eleven school districts and a charter management organization in Texas, North Carolina, Virginia, and Arkansas are the latest to join the national Opportunity Culture initiative, led by Public Impact, which extends the reach of excellent teachers and their teams to more students, for more pay, within recurring budgets. Some sites also include yearlong, paid residencies […]
Annual Opportunity Culture Dashboard 2021-22 Update: Opportunity Culture Growth—By the Numbers
As districts seek innovations to bolster student academics and bring support and joy to students and teachers, the Opportunity Culture model continues to spread and produce results, even in another challenging pandemic year. Each year, Public Impact analyzes Opportunity Culture data to improve its materials and its work with schools and districts. With the overarching […]
Research Maps Supports Needed to Sustain Learning Pods
When Covid forced students to learn from home in spring 2020, families were left largely on their own to figure out how to fill the gaps in school structure and supports, leading to the emergence of learning pods. Some of these small learning communities continued into fall 2021, either because of continued pandemic uncertainty or […]
January Opportunity Culture Newsletter: Connect with Your OC Community & Share Strategies!
The January Opportunity Culture newsletter includes opportunities for community, a reflection from educators on continued pandemic challenges, tools and videos for educators, Opportunity Culture news, and more. Featured stories include: “Everybody is Traumatized”: Opportunity Culture Fellows on Keeping On By Sharon Kebschull Barrett, January 25, 2022 With ongoing Covid-related stresses this year, many Opportunity Culture educators […]
Multiple Groups Recommend Opportunity Culture Models as a Covid Recovery Strategy
As districts continue to cope with a drawn-out end to the pandemic and worsening staff shortages, education research groups, advocacy organizations, and state and federal offices have publicized strategies for Covid recovery—with many suggesting Opportunity Culture models as one strategy to consider. U.S. Department of Education, Strategies for Using American Rescue Plan Funding to Address the […]
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 […]
Growing Opportunity Culture Residencies in Texas
Bringing a fresh approach to teacher training, five more Texas school districts will be providing yearlong, paid teacher residencies on teaching teams led by excellent teachers in the 2021–22 school year, by implementing Opportunity Culture roles in partnership with local universities and US PREP National Center (University-School Partnerships for the Renewal of Educator Preparation). The national Opportunity Culture initiative, led […]
The 2021 National Cohort of Opportunity Culture Fellows
By Public Impact Public Impact announces with pleasure the seventh cohort of Opportunity Culture Fellows, made up of eight principals who have achieved strong results in their schools and districts. Fellows provide support to their cohort, take one another’s ideas back to their schools, write columns or lead webinars about their experiences, and speak locally […]
Annual Opportunity Culture Dashboard Update Highlights Growth, Educator Support in 2020–21
By Public Impact 510+ schools committed to Opportunity Culture 3,400+ teachers with advanced roles or on-the-job development 83,000+ students reached by excellent teachers extending their reach $9.2 million in extra pay for teachers in 2020–21; $29.9 million since Opportunity Culture began 49 Opportunity Culture sites in 10 states—and growing Strong educator support: 98% of surveyed […]