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Welcome to this edition of the Opportunity Culture® Newsletter! Opportunity Culture® portal subscribers receive these newsletters automatically as part of their district’s portal benefits (log in here). Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Join our mailing list here! |
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How We Spent Our Summer
We’ve spent the past few months tallying up exciting data about schools using Opportunity Culture® design—and preparing for another year of learning! Tens of thousands of Opportunity Culture® educators across the country have made results happen for students and colleagues for nearly 15 years now. Check out new findings, and new wisdom, below!
If you missed our latest publications, here’s the bottom line: Following data-driven design standards—and giving educators access to how-to tools in an online portal—led to surges in schools’ and systems’ use of design elements correlated with high-growth learning outcomes, such as tutoring, along with nation-leading educator satisfaction. In addition, recommended-but-not-required elements, like adopting high-quality instructional materials (HQIM), have risen.
Those surges came in a year when Opportunity Culture® educators reached 70,000 more students, a 27% year-over-year increase. (This doesn’t include students in the same schools but not in Opportunity Culture® classrooms—but evidence indicates that they benefit, too.)
Get a quick glance in a short, interactive flipbook—perfect for sharing! |
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Some Highlights:
Reach: Highest-ever MCL reach in one subject—74%: Educators in Multi-Classroom Leader® roles reached an average of 74% of students in at least one core subject (typically reading or math) per school, nearly a 20 percentage-point leap since the year before Public Impact® added certification standards and portal-based design guidance.
Results: Nearly an extra half-year of student learning annually, and schools were two to three times as likely to make schoolwide high growth when using data-driven design standards to plan and execute excellent instruction.
Relationships: Nearly all Opportunity Culture® (OC®) teachers—98%—agreed that OC® models boost instructional excellence. OC® teachers are 50% more likely to strongly recommend teaching compared with teachers nationally. Principals received high marks from staff for supporting instructional roles, too.
Replicability: 98.6% of schools sustainably funded extra pay for educators with recurring money. Public Impact® and generous partners invested to streamline and reduce implementation costs, too. |
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For the 14th year, fresh analyses from these and other findings, coupled with research, will lead to refreshed school materials. For example, we plan to explore the effects of high MCL™ reach in one subject versus several, and the effects on student learning when MCL™ reach is high from year one versus a slower rollout. |
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Learning Growth Results |
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Title I schools with OC® models, 2024–25: "High" growth is top 25% growth in each school's state.
Note: Schools with OC® design have higher poverty rates than other Title I schools, on average. |
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Fresh design data shared by over 450 schools using the certification standards across a dozen states shows that in 2025–26, fidelity to elements associated with higher rates of schoolwide learning growth surged.
Fidelity to staffing design elements that have long been correlated with learning skyrocketed in just two years to 93%—up from 67% before the introduction of certification standards, increased portal access for educators, and new “how to” design modules for staffing and instructional design.
Tutoring led by Opportunity Culture® educators, provided during the school day to all students, surged by hundreds of minutes annually per student in just one year (tutoring = adult-led, data-driven instruction in small groups).
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Their average tutoring minutes per OC® student are now more than double the U.S. average—and exceed the average of “high-dosage” tutoring sites studied nationally.
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Elementary: Students gained 284 extra minutes in OC® elementary classrooms, a 31% increase.
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Secondary: Students gained 306 extra minutes in OC® secondary classrooms, a 37% increase.
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Students furthest behind gained 441 extra minutes (in all school levels combined), a 44% increase.
Future analysis will examine the impact on learning and whether existing schools increased tutoring minutes, or if, instead, schools new to these designs better adhered to OC® tutoring design standards.
In addition, districts’ use of high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) rose. Elementary usage exceeded other U.S. schools in math and reading:
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94% of districts using OC® design had adopted EdReports.org-approved HQIM in at least one subject at varying grade levels.
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75% of OC® districts are using HQIM curricula in elementary reading, and 69% in math, compared to 64% and 65% in reading and math in U.S. schools overall.
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Nearly all district/system design teams now include a leader from both academics and human resources, creating departmental alignment that allows instructional team leaders (the Multi-Classroom Leader® role) to lead curriculum and instructional changes seamlessly.
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What insights can education leaders glean to get more of these results to students? All educators, not just those already using Opportunity Culture® staffing and instructional design, can benefit. For OC® designing and implementing schools, we provide further details and a checklist of key actions to consider.
From the extensive 2024–25 data, which includes student learning growth results not yet available for 2025–26, we see these key insights, among others:
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Certifying in all elements of the standards doubled the rate of high-growth learning schoolwide.
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Reaching all students with Multi-Classroom Leader® teams had an especially large positive effect on schoolwide high-growth learning.
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Allowing teachers to reach more students directly—rather than filling persistent vacancies—had a large positive effect; schools should take note, as fewer schools use this design element even though it increases pay and in-school tutoring.
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Following precise certification design standards predicted positive results at year 6+, but following general design principles did not. Title I schools in year 6+ of OC® implementation that did certify were more than twice as likely to make high-growth learning schoolwide as schools without OC® classrooms, on average.
Other models of strategic staffing or advanced roles do not show the same results as design that meets the data-driven standards set for OC® certification.
Read all the briefs for many more details, insights, Opportunity Culture® basics, and a checklist of design changes to consider! Have insights you want to share, or a new idea or perspective you think we’ve missed? Tell us! |
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OPPORTUNITY CULTURE® AUDIO |
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When a state’s schools have never used Opportunity Culture® staffing design before, what motivates superintendents to bring it to their districts? Hulbert Public Schools Superintendent Jolyn Choate tells why she signed up to be part of the first Oklahoma design cohort, taking advantage of an opportunity that covers the costs of the design and early implementation support. |
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OPPORTUNITY CULTURE® FELLOWS
New Multi-Classroom Leader® Opportunity!
We’re excited to announce that the eighth Opportunity Culture® Fellows cohort is in the works! Previous fellows shared successes with students and peers, how they overcame challenges, and stories about their Opportunity Culture® roles. They advised Public Impact® on issues including staffing and instructional design and implementation, and policy issues, instructional methods, training, and adoption of the science of reading.
This year’s MCL™ fellows will consist of both a national cohort and a policy-focused North Carolina subgroup. All fellows will have the opportunity to give feedback on design-related state policies and/or high-priority instructional issues. Fellows may be interviewed and highlighted in publications or podcasts going to tens of thousands of educators and other leaders across the country, or they may write an original column. They will gather online for three evening sessions and provide feedback on materials offline.
Interested? See the OC® Fellows webpage for more information and ask your principal or district’s Opportunity Culture® director to nominate you!
Principals and OC® directors: Do you know of ideal OC® Fellows candidates? Nominate them using this form. Receive priority consideration by submitting nominations by September 30.
More funded fellowships for other roles on MCL™ teams are under consideration for future cohorts, so we can learn from many more of the nation’s 11,000+ OC® educators.
Even if you do not become a fellow, we encourage you to respond in the winter to the annual Opportunity Culture® Educator Survey in the portal, if your system provides access. Additionally, watch for short surveys in these newsletters, and we may offer online policy and instructional leadership design sessions open to everyone in districts that use OC® roles. All educator input helps to hone support for educators and students nationwide! |
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What fellows will do:
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Attend one to three virtual events to meet and share insights live. Sessions are anticipated between January and summer 2027 (avoiding testing season).
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Provide advice and/or editing on policy, instruction, training and more. Anticipated topics this year:
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State policy: All North Carolina fellows will give feedback on policy; this is optional for others. Advocacy on policy is not required but open to those who choose it.
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Curriculum adoption: What training do MCL™ educators need when schools introduce substantially new curricula, and how and when is that best delivered, without reducing their time to lead instruction?
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Next-generation differentiation: Teacher-led teams + boosts to tutoring time + teacher-facing technology offer new hope for differentiated instruction—without remedial tracking or caps on learning advancement—while increasing interpersonal connection. Fellows will explore possibilities for high-growth learning by all, identify risks, and share solutions.
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Advanced learning access: How can schools make sure students continue to achieve high-growth learning at and above grade level? This is a growing need in schools using Opportunity Culture® design—most of which are Title I—that are achieving high growth year after year.
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Teacher Evaluation 3.0: Help us tackle this tricky subject by brainstorming ways to measure teacher effectiveness in grades, subjects, and courses that don’t have standard end-of-grade assessments, to identify teachers for advanced roles to spread the best learning outcomes for students.
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Act as an ambassador in their state and the national OC® community—sharing their stories and successes in helping their colleagues and students excel.
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MONTHLY UPDATES
Congratulations to 2025–26 Certified Schools!
The final list of all schools to receive Certified Opportunity Culture School® status in 2025–26 was posted at the end of July. Congratulations to the 38 systems and their 460 certified schools!
Which schools will be the first to get certified for 2026–27? Watch the next newsletters to find out! The certification window is open from September 24, 2026, through June 30, 2027.
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Opportunity Culture® Portal
You asked, we listened: New enhancements have arrived!
Current OC® staffing tab: This new tab for school accounts, in the Design room, provides a single location to manage instructional staff and OC® role additions, updates, and deletions. Consolidating these updates and reducing required information means streamlined data entry and simplified submissions for schools.
District career ladder enhancements: Districts now have greater flexibility to customize their career ladders in the portal, with the ability to add, edit, and delete rows and columns, making it easier to align career ladder structures with local needs.
Certification page refresh: Beginning September 24, users will see a refreshed certification page featuring a more intuitive layout, simplified questions, and improved organization, making certification easier to navigate while keeping important information accessible.
Annual Recertification Reminder: To help keep certifications current, users will now see an annual reminder when they go to the certification page. The reminder prompts users to review and update their information before resubmitting for certification and disappears once certification for the current year is complete.
Coming soon: Opt-In Notifications for District Administrators, which will allow district administrators to receive alerts whenever a school achieves certification, helping them stay informed and celebrate progress across their district.
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Leadership Coaching
Need external coaching support for your team or school leaders? Our consultants offer targeted executive coaching and customized professional learning to help your leadership teams thrive. We work together to help sharpen MCL™ and administrator skills, strengthen implementation, and maximize impact. Learn more at our website and contact us to get started!
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TOOLS YOU NEED NOW
Getting High-Growth Learning for All—Up to and Well Beyond Grade Level
For nearly 15 years, OC® design guidance has emphasized high-growth learning for all students, up to and well beyond grade level. Why? Schools with OC® roles have been far more likely than other schools to produce high-growth student learning. When students achieve high growth year after year, many—even those who started out behind—become ready for advanced content.
And all students, but especially those who do not have access to outside tutoring and academic help that prepares them for honors, AP, and other college-ready coursework, need advanced instruction—ideally during school. The Opportunity Culture® portal contains tutoring design that supports this approach. Students aren’t limited; all have access to grade-level work and advanced content. This helps sustain schoolwide high-growth learning.
We are continuing to explore “next-generation differentiation”—without remedial tracking or capping students at grade level. If this topic interests you, be sure to see the section above about Opportunity Culture® Fellows!
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Instructional Leadership and Excellence Resources
As a new school year commences, check out the discussion questions, study guides, tools, and videos in the curated instructional leadership and excellence resources on the Opportunity Culture® website, which take educators through the rhythm of the year.
This month, principals and team leaders may find the launch and lead and build team cohesion sections especially useful.
And all educators will find helpful resources on how to connect with students and families as the year begins, lead the classroom, and provide rigorous, personalized, curriculum-aligned instruction. |
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SPECIAL EDUCATION
Training for MCL™ Roles
Public Impact®, which created and leads the Opportunity Culture® initiative, is thrilled to learn with dozens of partner organizations across the country, and we’re happy to announce this month a new special education partnership with Blue Engine and The Innovation Project (TIP), a frequent collaborator.
Schools using Opportunity Culture® design already double the rate of high-growth learning for students with disabilities compared with other schools—but growth rates for these students remain well below those of schools using OC® design overall.
Our partnership with Blue Engine and TIP will provide additional training for Multi-Classroom Leader® educators—and, through them, to their teams—to serve students with disabilities and learning differences. Public Impact® will provide refreshed design guidance to spread instructional excellence, new roles, and higher pay in special education. As we refine the guidance with educators, we will spread insights to other schools using OC® design—to help more students get the support they need.
Shared goals include determining how to deliver concise training and coaching for MCL™ roles—to preserve time for their accountable instructional leadership—and to reach all students urgently with high-growth learning, up to and beyond grade level. We are very grateful to the anonymous foundation supporting this collaboration! |
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EDUCATION POLICY
Keys for States to Scale Up Staffing and Instructional Design
With 15 years of experience designing and helping schools use Opportunity Culture® staffing and instructional design, we have learned many of the keys to long-term success for students and educators. Today, we’ve released a two-page brief on the essential elements leaders should heed to expand the success dozens of districts are seeing across the U.S.
Based on the five Opportunity Culture® principles first used in schools in 2012, and certification standards that build on the principles, the brief highlights critical elements to achieve results, reach, educator satisfaction, financial sustainability, and more.
States that want cost-effective staffing and instructional design—with results—should adopt:
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Vision for high-growth learning for all students—and strong communication to recruit and keep districts
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Standards for design based on data and research about results—with flexibility on other elements
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Support via data-driven portal-based design, skilled design coaching, PD, and optional extra funding
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Transparency and documentation about what school systems and schools implement
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Accountability to keep support flowing to school systems that follow standards and transparency requirements
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Instructional alignment—high-quality curricula and instruction led through accountable team leaders
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Sustainability through cost-efficient delivery, long-term budgeting, and removal of policy barriers
Public Impact® also created detailed state policy guidance in 2012, which we update and tailor to fit each location. Read the details of the elements in the brief, then share your policy thoughts with us at our contact page! |
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IN THE NEWS
Congratulations!
Ector County, Texas, ISD MCL™ Dawnna Talley was named to the governor’s Texas Classroom Commission, intended to bring together accomplished educators to help shape the future of public education and strengthen student achievement.
Cumberland County, North Carolina, Principal Marcus Stewart was named district principal of the year. He became principal of Sunnyside Elementary in 2023, and the school first used Opportunity Culture® roles in 2025–26—and in just-released state testing results, the school exceeded expected learning growth for the first time since 2018.
Spring, Texas, ISD MCL™ Ashley Landry had an op-ed published in eSchool News: First graders need a chance to explain their math thinking.
And congratulations to three of the original schools that pioneered Opportunity Culture® implementation for exceeding student growth expectations in just-released data! Of course, many more schools using Opportunity Culture® design than we have space to highlight here also exceeded expectations. But we took note of Ashley Park PreK–8, Allenbrook Elementary, and Ranson Middle, in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg district, which the district selected to implement brand-new Opportunity Culture® models in 2013 because of the challenges they faced—and continue to face—serving high-need, high-poverty populations.
Through six superintendent changes, school leadership changes, and a pandemic, these schools have persisted in implementing Opportunity Culture® roles. We learned a great deal from their initial years about which OC® designs worked best and what needed to be refined or discarded. As they begin another year full of challenges and joys, we celebrate with them! See more in this short clip from the September 8 school board meeting, where Superintendent Crystal Hill shared a video highlighting Ashley Park’s success in achieving high growth for two consecutive years and moving from an “F” to a “C” grade from the state.
Spot a news report about an Opportunity Culture® educator we should share? Send it to communications@publicimpact.com. |
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EVENTS
Upcoming Events
Opportunity Culture® Info Session: Unique, Effective Staffing Design
Live, free, virtual event to learn more about Opportunity Culture® staffing design, October 1, 1:00–1:45 p.m. ET | FREE | Register
Site Visit to Ector County ISD, Texas
Register for a in-person site visit to see Opportunity Culture® staffing design in action, October 7, 8:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. CT | Learn More or Register
FullScale Symposium in Indianapolis, IN
Ashley Williams of Public Impact® will moderate a panel on technology and strategic staffing models, October 8–10 | Learn More
National Forum to Advance Rural Education in San Antonio, TX
Anders Campbell of Public Impact® will co-present with leaders from Carlsbad Municipal Schools, October 19–21, 2026 | Learn More
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The following terms are registered trademarks: Opportunity Culture®, Public Impact®, Multi-Classroom Leader®, OC®, and Certified Opportunity Culture School®. We thank sites using Opportunity Culture® models for adhering to trademark usage standards, signaling to the public that they are using data-proven models to dramatically increase student learning and boost teacher satisfaction. |
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To stay up to date on all Opportunity Culture® happenings—new resources, news stories, new Opportunity Culture® districts, and more—follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube—and if you’re posting, use #OpportunityCulture, @OppCulture, or @PublicImpact, and we’ll repost/share your comments! |
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The Public Impact® mission is to improve education dramatically for all students—especially students whose needs have not been well met. We are a team of professionals from many backgrounds, including former teachers and principals. We are researchers, thought leaders, tool builders, and on-the-ground consultants who work with leading education reformers. To learn more, please visit www.publicimpact.com.
The statements made and views expressed in this newsletter are solely the responsibility of Public Impact®.
© 2026 Public Impact®/Opportunity Culture® |
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Public Impact, 115 N Merritt Mill Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27516, United States |
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