Opportunity Culture Audio

Public Impact

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What do great Opportunity Culture educators do, and what have they learned about successfully redesigning school roles to reach all students with excellent teaching? Opportunity Culture Audio pieces bring their voices and advice to you, to help confront some of the stickiest issues facing education.

3D AGO

“A Lever to Ignite Reading Achievement”: Deputy Superintendent Michael Cormack

At Jackson Public Schools in Mississippi, Deputy Superintendent Michael Cormack brought big changes to student outcomes—no surprise after his leadership of the Barksdale Reading Institute, which sparked the state’s stunning literacy turnaround. Under Cormack, Jackson’s state accountability rating went from an F to a C, and he kicked off an initiative to boost the percentage of third graders who passed the state assessment on the first try from 55 to 75%. In 2025, to strengthen the district’s literacy efforts, he introduced the combination of Opportunity Culture? teaching teams and a focus on high-quality instructional materials. Starting in five elementary schools—to be expanded to all 22 elementary schools in 2026–27—in pre-K through second grade, with a focus on literacy, the district worked with Public Impact?, which founded the Opportunity Culture? initiative, and Leading Educators, which provided literacy curriculum, coaching, and development for teachers. We caught up with him just before he started his new job as CEO of KIPP Atlanta Schools, to get his reflections on the early difference this work is making in Jackson and thoughts for the future. "The third-grade reading achievement issue doesn’t begin in third grade. As you all know, it begins much, much sooner. And so we really wanted to start with our focus in pre-kindergarten through second grade, to shore up our foundational skills program and to leverage teaching teams as a vehicle to do that in these five pilot elementary schools. “I think what’s really exciting is that we get an opportunity to take some of our strongest early educators and give them a platform for elevating their practice while also helping to support their colleagues. And so our Multi-Classroom Leaders are doing really dynamic work with colleagues to make certain that everyone understands the science of reading and has the practical tools within the curriculum to implement those practices effectively.” —Dr. Michael Cormack Opportunity Culture®, Public Impact®, and Multi-Classroom Leader® are terms used in this podcast for which Public Impact® holds a registered trademark, and MCL™ and Reach Associate™ are trademarked term. Related Links Transcript: “A Lever to Ignite Reading Achievement”: Deputy Superintendent Michael Cormack Audio: For Louisiana District, HQIM + Opportunity Culture® Teams Sparks Early Wins

25 min
FEB 17

A Rural “Force Multiplier”—Opportunity Culture® Design: Superintendent Anthony Jackson

Chatham County Superintendent Anthony Jackson, named as the 2020 North Carolina Superintendent of the Year while serving as superintendent of Vance County Schools, says districts—especially rural systems—can do far more if they focus investments on the capacity of their staff. A self-proclaimed “disciple” of the Opportunity Culture® initiative, he has led both districts to take calculated risks leading to strong learning outcomes for students. In this podcast, Jackson discusses how Opportunity Culture® models’ flexibility combined with guardrails helped address the different problems each district faced. He notes some early success at the high school level, and he stresses the importance of scaling up implementation district-wide—-with urgency while at a predictable pace—to ensure that all students have access to excellent teaching, consistently. Opportunity Culture is the exact, I’ve always said this to you all, it’s the perfect name. It is the perfect name because I think it really does speak to what’s possible if we would just invest in those people who are standing in front of kids, if we would respect those people who are standing in front of kids, if we would elevate those people who are standing in front of kids, and if we would celebrate the outcomes of those people who have benefited from those people that we have celebrated and elevated. It’s a cycle. It says that they are definitely those people who should be where they are. And it celebrates that districts have made the right decisions about an instructional initiative that is more than just a fad. It says that it’s going to stand the test of time and that it’s going to be around. And you never lose out when you benchmark what you do against just really, really high and rigorous standards. You will never lose that battle. —Dr. Anthony Jackson Opportunity Culture® and Multi-Classroom Leader® are registered trademarks of Public Impact®; MCL™ is a trademarked term. Related Links: Transcript: A Rural “Force Multiplier”—Opportunity Culture® Design: Superintendent Anthony Jackson Video: Teach Boldly: Vance County Schools Video: Innovation Does Not Need Permission Video: NC Superintendents of the Year on Their Opportunity Culture® Districts Blog: Vance County Schools’ Jackson Named N.C. Superintendent of the Year Blog: What Do Superintendents Say About Opportunity Culture® Models? Blog: Keeping Advanced Roles Alive and Thriving: Vance County’s Experience

36 min
FEB 10

“Teachers Are Screaming for This Level of Support": Charlotte Superintendent Crystal Hill

For Charlotte-Mecklenburg Superintendent Crystal Hill, leading 185 schools and 141,000 students, success means providing deep support for a staff that now sees 60 percent of its teachers coming from a non-traditional background. The district, a pioneer in piloting Opportunity Culture® team teaching models and in quickly scaling up to many more schools, posted dramatic learning growth results in 2024–24. What has it taken to get there, and how will the district try to sustain those results? Dr. Hill shares her thoughts with host Sharon Kebschull Barrett and Public Impact® Co-President Bryan Hassel. "Your teachers will thank you, because they are screaming for this level of support. Our most recent teacher working conditions surveys last year…specifically in the areas of professional development, coaching, support, those were our strongest areas, and I believe it’s because of this model." —Dr. Crystal Hill Related Links: Transcript: “Teachers Are Screaming for This Level of Support": Charlotte Superintendent Crystal Hill Blog Post: Up to 3X Rate of High Learning Growth with Opportunity Culture Designs—New Data Press Release: North Carolina Data: Up To 3X More Learning Growth in Schools Using Opportunity Culture Staffing Designs

27 min
11/20/2025

For Louisiana District, HQIM + Opportunity Culture® Teams Sparks Early Wins

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

16 min
10/29/2025

Vacancies Plummet, Student Results Rocket in Carlsbad, New Mexico: Superintendent Gerry Washburn

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. Related Links Video: Carlsbad Connections: How Teaching Teams Mesh for Success Staffing Design Workshops—Learn more and register! In-Person Site Visits—Learn more and register! Strong Results in New Mexico District Making the Most of Opportunity Culture Innovations

14 min
09/29/2025

Superintendents Speak: Choosing to Use Opportunity Culture® Design, on Fast Timeline

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. Related Links Staffing Design Workshops—Learn more and register! In-Person Site Visits—Learn more and register!

14 min
09/02/2025

For Big Results, Go Big with Teaching Teams

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.

18 min
03/26/2025

Reset for Success: How Midland ISD Revamped Teaching Teams for Results

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!

12 min

What do great Opportunity Culture educators do, and what have they learned about successfully redesigning school roles to reach all students with excellent teaching? Opportunity Culture Audio pieces bring their voices and advice to you, to help confront some of the stickiest issues facing education.

Creator

Public Impact
Years Active

2023 - 2026
Episodes

27
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© 2026 Opportunity Culture Audio
Show Website

Opportunity Culture Audio