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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 (portal log-in here).
Not already subscribed to our mailing list? Join here.
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SHOUT-OUT
Congratulations to Newly Certified Schools! |
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Congratulations to Rocky Mount Middle
School, from North Carolina’s Nash County Public Schools, for being the first school to reach Level 2! This school was awarded the "Certified Opportunity Culture School™, Level 2, 2024–25” designation; four other schools in the district reached Level 1.
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In September 2024, Public Impact® announced that 366 schools in 28 districts in eight states were awarded the new “Certified Opportunity
Culture School™, Provisional Level, 2023–24” designation. Since then, many schools using Opportunity Culture® models have received certification at several levels for the 2024–25 year.
Showing their commitment to reaching all students with excellent teaching, consistently, and all educators with excellent, paid career opportunities, schools can use their certified status to attract applicants looking for support and career paths, and reassure parents, their community, state, and funders that they are using models that increase student learning.
Many schools have reached Level 1, and some of these have also attained “validated” status. Schools can validate their certification level by demonstrating the strength of their Opportunity Culture® model—and getting coaching to go to the next level—through feedback rounds. “School leaders have been excited about the opportunity to validate their certification and even increase their levels,” said ShaLeka Covington, who oversees Public Impact® certification work.
Learn more about certification and validation here.
Newly announced Level 1 schools are in:
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See the full list of certified and validated schools on the Opportunity Culture® dashboard.
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K-12 DIVE DISTRICT OF THE YEAR
“Significantly Influenced Student Growth” |
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As K-12 Dive noted, the Texas Education Agency gave Ector County ISD an F accountability rating in 2019, the first year under Superintendent Scott Muri, who introduced Opportunity
Culture® models to the district .
By 2022, the most recent year rated, the district had earned its first-ever B rating from TEA.
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STUDENT LEARNING
A Sure Fix for NAEP WoesThe latest NAEP scores are no surprise, despite educators’ hard work to support students, but this is not just an educational crisis; it’s an economic one, write Public Impact® Co-Presidents Emily Ayscue Hassel and Bryan Hassel.
Education outcomes determine students’ job prospects, which affect local and state economies—and tax revenues. Learning boosts add to public funding, while shortfalls drain public funding. Whatever you care about, K–12 learning results could pay for it, and support students and their communities.
What is the sure fix? Choose changes with the maximum average outcomes. Maximum average analysis considers the results of a change for all students in your purview, including those left out when a change is not scalable or sustainable. The best options optimize results times reach—without running out of money, time, talent, or other scarce resources. And they do so this year, next year, and beyond—so students benefit over and over, not just for a short time, only to slide back later.
When the right outcomes are the goal, maximum average outcomes boost the economy—and fund the cost of changes via tax revenues.
Read more of their thoughts on our blog, and see more recent highlights from the blog below.
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REGISTER
Upcoming Events and Professional LearningFree webinar:
Navigating the Opportunity Culture® Certification Process
Is your school implementing or designing its Opportunity Culture® model, using the Opportunity Culture® portal? Join us March 12 from 3:00–4:00 p.m. ET for a free webinar to deepen your understanding of the why and how of the certification process—to maximize the benefits of your model!
Understand the Value of Certification: Explore how certification benefits your school by increasing its effectiveness, attracting talent, and strengthening teaching teams.
Step-by-Step Process: Gain clear, practical guidance on how to navigate the certification process and achieve certification levels based on your school’s plans and progress.
Live Certification Insights: Work with our team to check your school’s certification status during the webinar and receive personalized support. Register today!
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In-Person Site Visits
Do you know educators who want to check out what Opportunity Culture® models look like in action? Spread the word about site visits planned for this spring! At press time, space is limited for the site visit to Winchester Public Schools in Virginia on March 5, so reserve your spot soon! There is still space for the Carlsbad, New Mexico, Municipal School District visit on February 27.
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Summer Professional Learning
Dreaming about summer’s warmth in January? We are, too—and we’re dreaming about the great sessions we have planned for summer professional learning! We’ll soon be announcing this summer’s theme, but no need to wait—get a taste of the fun and inspiration of last summer’s sessions in this short video, and register today!
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National Behavioral Event Interview TrainingEnhance your hiring process with our comprehensive Behavioral Event Interview Training. Choose from March or April dates for a live, virtual, three-hour training that provides district and school leaders with essential skills on the behavioral event interview technique: March 5 or April 30.
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February and March Events
2/13 Opportunity Culture® Info Session, 1:00–1:45 p.m. ET FREE — Register
2/19 Introduction to School Staffing Design with Results, 1:05–3:30 p.m. ET — Register
2/25 Master the SIMPLE-TC™ Framework | Session 4: Prioritize "Small for All" — Register
2/27 Site Visit: Carlsbad Municipal School District, New Mexico — Learn More or Register
3/3 District-Level Staffing Design Workshop Part 1, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. ET – Learn More
3/4 District-Level Staffing Design Workshop Part 2, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. ET – Learn More
3/5 Site Visit: Winchester Public Schools, Virginia – Learn More or Register
3/5 National Behavioral Event Interview Training, 1:05-4:00 p.m. ET – Register
3/12 Navigating the OC™ Certification Process, 3:00–4:00 p.m. ET FREE — Register
3/13 Opportunity Culture® Info Session, 1:00–1:45 p.m. ET FREE — Register
3/25 Introduction to School Staffing Design with Results, 1:05–3:30 p.m. ET — Register
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CERTIFICATION
This Month in Opportunity Culture® Certification |
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Feedback rounds: As schools continue to apply for certification status throughout the year, schools that also requested feedback rounds in the fall are preparing for spring rechecks. The fall rounds consist
of virtual and/or in-person interviews with a principal and educators on MCL™ teams, artifact submissions, and short surveys to assess and provide feedback on a school’s Opportunity Culture® implementation. Spring rechecks assess progress on areas of growth determined in the fall, giving schools the opportunity to reach higher certification levels with validated status.
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Banners and badges: Schools that have achieved Certified Opportunity Culture School™ status can announce their certification level and validation status by displaying a badge
on their Opportunity Culture® banner. Certification and validation convey the strength of your instructional model to educators, students, families, and your community. Order yours today from the new Opportunity Culture® Merch shop our Shopify site!
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PORTALThis Month in the Opportunity Culture® Portal |
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District administrators: Explore the “Talent Acquisition” section of the portal’s “Tools” room this month to discover a treasure trove of resources to help you:
Streamline your hiring workflow with data trackers and sample job descriptions.
Attract top talent using recruitment brochures and sample social media posts.
Make more informed hiring decisions with guides and resources for conducting behavioral event interviews.
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Survey: The annual Opportunity Culture® Educator Survey is available now in the portal for educators in schools using these models.
This anonymous survey focuses on respondents’ perceptions of their school, their role, and the effects of implementation, and invites respondents to identify potential improvements. The survey is free and voluntary, and its results help improve implementation across the country. Questions? Contact your district’s Opportunity Culture® lead and/or Public Impact® consultant for more information.
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BLOGOn the Blog
Have you checked out the Opportunity Culture® blog lately? Recent items include:
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RESOURCES
Tools and Tips You Need Now
Check out the instructional leadership and excellence resources on the Opportunity Culture® website. This month, principals and team leaders may find the Support and Develop Individuals section especially useful.
For all educators, the Monitor Learning and Adjust Instruction elements for achieving instructional excellence that may be especially useful now.
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Aycock Elementary’s Tips to Grow On
What tips do educators at Aycock Elementary in Vance County, N.C., have for maintaining Opportunity Culture® staffing models—so both students and teachers can thrive? Watch these three new short videos to find out!
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NEW DESIGN WORKSHOPSStaffing Design Workshops Speed Planning
Do you work with or know of a district looking for an affordable, time-conserving way to get strategic staffing designed—creating a plan that produces results for students and teachers? Our new virtual workshops can get the job done!
We'll begin with the district-level workshop on March 3 and 4: Along with these interactive sessions for department leaders, a district team gets eight coaching calls and online support, and full access to the Opportunity Culture® portal. The school-level workshop in April will guide schools through design planning, along with two coaching calls for schools to finalize their plans, full access to the Opportunity Culture® portal during the design phase, and the opportunity to gain provisional-level Opportunity Culture® certification status. (Note: Districts must participate or have previously participated in district-level design for schools to be eligible for the school-level workshop.)
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SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow Us on Bluesky! |
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Educators, have you joined Bluesky? If you want to find
other Opportunity Culture® educators there, follow us, and tag us to be added to a “starter pack” we’ll create—an easy way to follow others quickly.
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COMING SOON!Need Some Opportunity Culture® Merch?
The Opportunity Culture® Merch shop will be expanding soon to include mugs, T-shirts, sweatshirts, and notebooks that share how special your school’s roles are. Keep an eye on our Shopify site, or look for an announcement in our next newsletter!
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