When Dr. Tina Lupton and Dr. Timisha Barnes-Jones joined the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, Opportunity Culture implementation was happening in the midst of COVID. Lupton, the executive director of professional learning, and Barnes-Jones, the area superintendent for a network of 15 transformation schools, used their experience in other…

When Dr. Tina Lupton and Dr. Timisha Barnes-Jones joined the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, Opportunity Culture implementation was happening in the midst of COVID. Lupton, the executive director of professional learning, and Barnes-Jones, the area superintendent for a network of 15 transformation schools, used their experience in other…

When Dr. Tina Lupton and Dr. Timisha Barnes-Jones joined the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, Opportunity Culture implementation was happening in the midst of COVID. Lupton, the executive director of professional learning, and Barnes-Jones, the area superintendent for a network of 15 transformation schools, used their experience in other…

Innovative staffing means thinking differently about instructional roles and available funding to improve academics, creating new career options for teachers and addressing persistent teaching vacancies. By reallocating funding from these vacancies, existing budgets can fund new staffing models that increase teacher collaboration and pay, extend…

Idaho faces a twin challenge in the market for public school students. With only 40 percent of students proficient in math and 55 percent proficient in reading across all grades statewide, the state needs higher-quality schools to give all its students access to great educational options. Added to that, Idaho was the second-fastest-growing state…

Thinking about college provokes a mix of excitement and angst for high school students. For many, applying to and attending college are a normal rite of passage. But for many students in the U.S., particularly from low-income backgrounds, the idea of getting into college feels daunting and foreign. In 1997, Dave Borgal founded Bottom Line to help…

To address the invisibility of schools serving highest-need students, ACE Charter Schools, a network of schools serving highest-need students in San Jose, California, partnered with Education Analytics, the CORE Data Collaborative, and Public Impact to change the definition of school quality, making visible the success that schools are achieving…

In the wake of COVID-19, the U.S. pre-K-12 education system needs more than a refresh. Based on the success and popularity of the Opportunity Culture model, in this brief Public Impact recommends the means to bring critical, effective instructional and emotional supports to millions of teachers and their students--for a price tag the country can…

Almost immediately after schools closed due to the coronavirus outbreak in spring 2020, we began to see anecdotal evidence that charter schools were reacting quickly and serving students well. This paper offers evidence that smaller networks and schools that represent over 65% of the charter school landscape were able to respond quickly and take…

As students and teachers shift to working from home, many district policies need to shift as well. Our new publication, "Recommended District Policies for At-Home Teaching and Learning," provides recommendations with a focus on: What policies are both feasible and most likely to produce strong learning outcomes for all students,…

As districts across the country search for ways to turn around their lowest-performing schools, a growing number are partnering with external providers--often charter operators--to implement "restarts." These providers receive operational autonomy and bring their own approach to schooling, positioning them to implement deep and…

While the charter sector has much to celebrate, the country can do more to put great schools--including excellent charters--within reach for our most vulnerable students. Students with disabilities represent one such group. The best solutions start by partnering with the parent groups that advocate for students with disabilities, and have been…

Facilities access is arguably the largest and most persistent challenge facing new and expanding charter schools. Creating a charter facility "incubator" can help solve this challenge. This case study provides an in-depth look at the design and operations of one such incubator, "Building Pathways," a nonprofit that serves as…

How could far more children ages 0-5 who are in early childhood education and care settings have consistent access to excellent teaching? In these critical developmental years, young children--especially those who have fewer educational and developmental advantages outside of formal settings--need "excellent teaching every year" to…

In 2011, some of Charlotte's leading private and corporate foundations formed a partnership with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to implement innovative school turnaround interventions affecting use of talent, time, and technology, and engaging parents and communities at West Charlotte High School and its feeder elementary and middle schools. In…