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PAID RESIDENCIES
Educator Prep Programs May Now Obtain Certified Opportunity Culture™ Career Prep Pathway Status
—And Educators Earning Degrees and Licensure Can Claim it On Their Resumes!
Starting in January 2026, Public Impact will begin conferring Certified Opportunity Culture™ Career Prep Pathway status on educator preparation programs that place paid residents and apprentices, or provide licensure to new teachers, in schools with Certified Opportunity Culture School® status.
We are excited to recognize programs that place residents, apprentices, and others in schools with Multi-Classroom Leader® teams, which have been proven to significantly increase teacher effectiveness in producing student learning.
Providers, school systems, and schools may use the certification to help attract aspiring educators, and these aspiring educators should share the placements on their resumes to highlight how they learned how to teach on the job from the nation’s best educators!
The first certifications will be announced and posted on OpportunityCulture.org in early 2026, and early birds will receive extra social media “love” just in time for Valentine’s Day in February 2026.
We will publish free guidance to help ed prep providers craft outstanding residencies, as well, but programs will have significant design flexibility. Recognized programs and pathways will include at least these: registered teacher apprenticeships; residencies for those working toward bachelor’s degrees; education master’s degrees—including MSAs; post-bachelor’s licensure; select internships and fellowships.
Providers: Fill out this short interest form to learn more about how to sign up for this free certification, which has a short list of specific, minimal requirements.
School system leaders: Systems may also earn this status if conferring licensure to teachers on the job, either alone or with a partner higher education institution—fill out the short interest form to learn more.
Aspiring educators: If you are obtaining a degree or licensure while working in a school with Certified Opportunity Culture School® status, share this newsletter with your provider, so we can recognize your on-the-job learning early in 2026! |
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OPPORTUNITY CULTURE® AUDIO
For Louisiana District, HQIM + Opportunity Culture® Teams Sparks Early Wins |
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Superintendent Charlie Butler |
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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. |
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In this podcast, district and state leaders describe how they worked together to make it happen. Learn how they helped students leap 30 percentile points in a key reading assessment. |
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“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 |
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OPPORTUNITY CULTURE® AUDIO
Superintendents Speak: Vacancies Plummet, Student Results Rocket in Carlsbad, New Mexico |
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Superintendent Gerry Washburn |
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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 state-leading learning results and a 77% decline in vacancies. |
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“I’ve been stunned at the acceleration that we’re seeing,” he said. |
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In fact, new state data showed notable results in the schools Washburn discusses in this podcast: |
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For more, watch this video about how the teaching team roles work together. |
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OPPORTUNITY CULTURE® WEBSITE
Opportunity Culture® Stats
More, more, more! More teachers, more students, more pay, more growth! See the latest Opportunity Culture® statistics on our new webpage for an overview of the difference schools are making as Opportunity Culture® teams reach more students and teachers every year. |
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255K+
Students
reached in 24-25 |
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9800K+
Teachers
on teams in 24-25 |
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$107M
Extra Pay
as of 24-25
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+2–7
Months
extra learning/year |
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BLOG
So You Got High Learning Growth—Now What?
As learning growth results continue to come in across the U.S. for the 2024–25 year, educators in many high-growth schools may find their celebrations tinged with an edge of dread. They and their students worked so hard for their results—but what now?
Many organizations, not just schools, find sustaining high performance just as hard as achieving it. In schools, the challenges include:
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Most students achieved high growth, but teachers teaching the same students next year do not have materials differentiated for more high growth.
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Teachers didn’t have curricula with differentiated lessons—they and their teaching teams made it happen with a lot of work that doesn’t feel doable year over year.
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Some students, despite schoolwide or team-wide high growth, still struggled.
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Schools and teachers need to keep up the growth while also attending to needs of the “whole child” and “whole adult”?
For some solutions, think ABC—go to the full post to learn more, and see more posts! |
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CERTIFICATION
Welcome to Newly Certified Schools
Certification is underway for the 2025–26 school year, and schools have gotten active in the Opportunity Culture® portal submitting their information! Congratulations to all the schools that have received Certified Opportunity Culture School® status at the provisional level and level 1, and a special congratulations to L.B. Johnson Elementary School in Ector County Independent School District for reaching level 2 status!
Certification levels convey strength of implementation in key areas, including selectivity of Opportunity Culture® roles, student access to instruction led by Opportunity Culture® teams, incorporation of small-group, high-dosage tutoring into staffing plans, and financial sustainability of staffing plans. With Opportunity Culture® certification and validation, schools and districts can attract applicants looking for support and career paths, and reassure parents, their community, state, and funders about the strength of their instructional system.
See the full list, and check it often for updates with schools you know! |
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PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
Register for Upcoming PL Session
Considering taking your teaching career to the next level? If you’re a high-performing teacher interested in team leadership, check out the free, virtual information session about the Aspiring Multi-Classroom Leader® Academy! |
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The session will provide an overview of the Multi-Classroom Leader® role, the Opportunity Culture® model, and their results in schools. You’ll learn about the academy's curriculum and the skills you'll develop, and hear from experienced facilitators who can answer your questions, so you can decide if the Aspiring Multi-Classroom Leader® Academy is right for you. |
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Register today for this free session on January 14, 2026, from 4:35-5:30 p.m. ET. |
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CONGRATULATIONS!
Recently Promoted Public Impact® Staff Members |
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Kristine Gear |
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Heather Highsmith |
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Raven Shelton |
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Ashley Williams |
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Rachel Wilson |
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