蜜桃影视

Why? Because without high-growth learning consistently, students who start behind stay behind. Yet far too few teachers teach at that level consistently. And without pay to match more demanding expectations, these great teachers will keep leaving classrooms for administration and other professions.

When we finally published in 2009, with more in 2010, education leaders鈥� responses ranged from a head-scratching 鈥淲hat is this?鈥� to 鈥淗ere are the reasons this can鈥檛 work….鈥� Only a few got it right away.

But when our team began working with schools in 2012, the odds flipped: Nearly every teacher understood immediately. Pioneering teachers in what became the initiative took these seeds and grew them into results.

That was tens of thousands of students ago. In four years, Opportunity Culture has from seven schools to about 120, and from two districts to 18 (with more joining), across seven states. It鈥檚 gone from reaching a few thousand students to about 34,000 this year alone, growing about 50 percent annually.

Not everything has been easy. We didn鈥檛 insist on perfect conditions, because imperfect conditions in schools are perfectly normal. Superintendent turnover, principals who have never led other leaders, schools with little experience hiring selectively, challenging implementation of new curricula 鈥� all these elements have been more common than not.

Despite the challenges 鈥� and ultimately due to the teachers and their supportive principals 鈥� Opportunity Culture schools are far more likely to make schoolwide high growth than others in their states. Last year in North Carolina, where the earliest and most extensive implementation has occurred so far, 59 percent of Opportunity Culture schools exceeded the state鈥檚 growth targets, versus 28 percent statewide. Nationally, teachers who have advanced roles in Opportunity Culture schools earn supplements that average an additional 20 percent of their base pay; they have earned supplements that are as much as 50 percent of average salaries. In surveys, 98 percent of teacher-leaders say they want Opportunity Culture to continue.

Teams made up mostly of teachers design each school鈥檚 exact approach, adhering to five : reaching more students with excellent teachers, paying those teachers far more, funding extra pay , adding and consolidating time for teachers to plan and collaborate, and matching teachers鈥� formal authority and accountability to each role. They use and combine core models as a start:

• : An excellent teacher鈥攖he multi-classroom leader, or 鈥淢CL鈥濃�攔eaches more students, continuing to teach part of the time while leading a team of two to eight teachers who use the MCL鈥檚 methods and tools. The MCL is accountable for the learning results of all the students reached by the team. By co-teaching, co-planning, and coaching, the MCL provides weekly, if not daily, on-the-job development and collaboration.

• : With creative scheduling and added support from carefully selected paraprofessionals, excellent teachers gain hours per week to teach more students, plan, and collaborate with peers. When students aren鈥檛 with the excellent teacher, they鈥檙e still learning, via tutoring, age-appropriate digital instruction, project work, or offline skills practice.

• : Elementary teachers specialize in their best subjects, with paraprofessional support saving time for team collaboration and reaching more students.

None of these models requires increases in instructional group size, and some decrease it. The Multi-Classroom Leadership model also provides the foundation for for teachers and principals, as well as a stronger .

With 1,250 teachers now, we have an unprecedented opportunity to learn from them about how to achieve instructional excellence, not just in a few small programs, but at scale. The teachers can tell us how they鈥檝e done it, and they can tell us what needs to improve.

Nearly two years ago, Opportunity Culture teachers selected for their excellence and leadership began speaking out through a , now continuing here on 蜜桃影视. We and these great teachers are grateful for the chance to share 鈥� because we鈥檙e all tired of reading columns about what should be done in education, when we know that something amazing is already happening. In the columns to follow, teachers will tell you how they鈥檙e getting to 鈥渁mazing鈥� in this financially sustainable, scalable, teacher-loving initiative designed to help all students excel.

The Opportunity Culture goal is to reach all students with excellent teaching and all teachers with the on-the-job support and the sustainably paid career advancement they need to achieve that goal.  This isn鈥檛 the end, but just the beginning 鈥� 74 million students and every one of their teachers need this.

Emily Ayscue Hassel and Bryan C. Hassel are the co-directors of Public Impact, which founded and leads the Opportunity Culture initiative.