When Charlie Butler returned to his hometown to become superintendent of the Madison Parish School District in northeastern Louisiana, he was looking for innovative ways to help the persistently low-performing system. With help from a state “instructional coherence cohort,” the district combined the support of Opportunity Culture® teaching teams with a focus on the implementation of high-quality instructional materials to address longstanding issues—and quickly started to see successes for both students and educators. In this podcast, district and state leaders describe how they worked together to make it happen.

“It’s remarkable to see the growth in the teachers and the way that they approach the work, the way they’re committed to the work… you feel it across the campus.”—Jesse Unkel, who led the instructional coherence cohort

When Carlsbad Municipal Schools Superintendent Gerry Washburn joined the district, it was facing high teacher vacancies and low student success—and a lot of low morale. A chance conversation with Ector County, Texas, Superintendent Scott Muri showed Washburn a new option—Opportunity Culture® school redesign. With inclusive leadership and a determination to get design and implementation of new staffing roles right, plus a strong district team and principals, Washburn saw schools begin to soar and lead the state: “I’ve been stunned at the acceleration that we’re seeing.”

Opportunity Culture® and Multi-Classroom Leader® are registered trademarks of Public Impact®; MCL™ is a trademarked term.

In the first of an occasional “Superintendents Speak” series, Superintendent Rodney McNeill of Greene County and Superintendent Rodney Peterson of Person County discuss why they chose to use Opportunity Culture® models in their districts, and why they elected to have their districts go through a fast-track design workshop together in the spring, to be able to begin using Multi-Classroom Leader® teaching teams in the fall. Both districts feel the pressure of nearby, larger districts—and districts already using Opportunity Culture® models—that are able to pay teachers more.

“I want teachers to have more tools in their toolboxes. I want them to teach kids with confidence. I want them to know what good, sound instruction looks like and what it feels like,” McNeill said.

Opportunity Culture® and Multi-Classroom Leader® are registered trademarks of Public Impact®; MCL™ is a trademarked term.

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Should districts and schools considering redesigned staffing wade in, or dive in? Hear what superintendents and district leaders have told us over the past decade about their thoughts on how to best improve student learning growth and teacher careers.

When Superintendent Stephanie Howard came to Midland ISD in the Permian Basin of Texas, she knew what success with Opportunity Culture® teaching team models should look like, after working with them in neighboring Ector County ISD as a deputy superintendent. Although Midland ISD was using these teams as well, several Opportunity Culture® fundamentals weren’t being followed. Howard and Jessie Garcia, who had also worked in Ector County, took a year to do a complete reset—an effort now paying off in learning growth for students, sustainable higher pay for teacher-leaders that can reach six figures, and stronger teacher support and retention. Hear how they did it in our latest episode!

Math Team Reach Teacher™ Brian Tavenner discusses his wholehearted belief in the power of extensive small-group instruction to improve all students’ outcomes and the difference it makes in how he works with student learning data. He delves into reflections and how small groups work in his middle school classes, with 50 students split in half through Reach Associate™ support. 

For the 2023–24 school year, Winchester Public Schools had student learning growth results to celebrate: Their seventh-grade math students were number 1 in the state for learning growth; fourth-grade math was in the top 10, and eighth-grade math was in the top 12. All three of these grades had 100 percent of their students reached by Multi-Classroom Leader teaching teams. And across the district, 15 teams are now reaching 100 percent of students in a subject or grade, with nine teams students’ making high growth. Listen to this audio piece to hear why Winchester educators give much credit to small-group instruction for these results. 

Superintendent Jason van Heukelum of Winchester Public Schools developed a rigorous selection process at the division level to guard against bias and to send a message that teachers selected for the team leader role have to produce results.

With the Multi-Classroom Leader™ role, some teachers who want to grow in their  profession choose to stay in the classroom because they've been empowered to lead without having to be an administrator, says Winchester Public Schools superintendent Jason van Heukelum. 

Viewing Opportunity Culture® implementation as a single, cost-neutral solution for multiple issues—student outcomes and educator career paths and satisfaction—Winchester Public Schools Superintendent Jason van Heukelum discusses why the district “jumped all in” and how that’s working out, with strong learning growth results. For the 2023–24 school year, seventh-grade math students were number 1 in the state for learning growth; fourth-grade math was in the top 10, and eighth-grade math was in the top 12. All three of these grades had 100 percent of their students reached by Multi-Classroom Leader™ teaching teams. And across the district, 15 teams are now reaching 100 percent of students in a subject or grade, with nine teams students’ making high growth.