Exploring Teacher Perceptions of the Opportunity Culture Program in Two West Texas School Districts

• In Event: Sunday Roundtable Session 7:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Advancing New Knowledge About the Causes and Consequences of Employee Turnover in K–12 Education Settings (Table 28)

Abstract

This study evaluated Public Impact’s Opportunity Culture (OC) to explore perceptions of teachers in peer coaching roles in two West Texas school districts. Both districts implement the OC as a policy to improve teacher retention, teacher quality, and student achievement. OC expands the reach of highly effective teachers as Multi-Classroom Leaders (MCLs). MCLs stay in the classroom while supporting teacher peers through coaching, planning, and data interventions. This paper uses Job Demands-Resources (J-DR) Theory (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007) to understand how the coaching model supported teachers and explore perceptions of the OC on teacher retention or job satisfaction. The study highlights two similar districts experiencing different results in implementation due to leadership changes and other challenges related to the pandemic.

Authors

• Emily Robinson, Texas Tech University

• Chris McGilvery, Texas Tech University

• Jessica Gottlieb, Texas Tech University