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 JacksonOpportunity 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 SchoolsVideo: Innovation Does Not Need PermissionVideo: NC Superintendents of the Year on Their Opportunity Culture® DistrictsBlog: Vance County Schools’ Jackson Named N.C. Superintendent of the YearBlog: What Do Superintendents Say About Opportunity Culture® Models?Blog: Keeping Advanced Roles Alive and Thriving: Vance County’s Experience