Publication
The Opportunity Makers
How a Diverse Group of Public Schools Helps Students Catch Up—and How Far More Can
In schools across the country, far too many students fall behind academically, and most who fall behind stay behind. If we don’t accelerate learning at scale, millions of students may never catch up. This has far-reaching implications for students’ futures: Our research has shown that a strong academic foundation is one of five factors of social and economic mobility. Without strong academic foundations, they will be less equipped to pursue chosen careers, achieve financial security, and thrive in life.
How can we ensure that students’ long-term opportunities are not limited by learning losses in elementary or middle school?
Of the 28,000 elementary and middle schools we studied where students start out below grade level, five percent help students gain more than 1.3 years of learning per academic year—a pace that catches the average student up to grade level by the time they leave their school. These trajectory-changing schools have maintained that growth for a decade.
To begin to create paths of opportunity for all young people, let’s learn from what’s already working.
The seven schools in The Opportunity Makers are very different, but they all deliver exceptional levels of learning. Instead of a single, silver-bullet solution, these schools focused on three areas that led to extraordinary impact:
- Belonging: Creating an emotional climate for learning that activates students’ ability to excel.
- Consistency: Delivering consistently good teaching and grade-level content for all students.
- Coherence: Building a unified instructional program and setting priorities that are clear to all.
Implementing these three focus areas can transform trajectories for all students. Our Opportunity Makers report provides resources, tools, and guides for different stakeholders to get started today.
It will take a collective effort to transform public education so it can truly prepare all young people to thrive, and there is no time to waste. We must act now.
To learn more, download the report below.
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About TNTP
TNTP is the nation’s leading research, policy, and consulting organization dedicated to transforming America’s public education system, so that every generation thrives.
Today, we work side-by-side with educators, system leaders, and communities across 39 states and over 6,000 districts nationwide to reach ambitious goals for student success.
Yet the possibilities we imagine push far beyond the walls of school and the education field alone. We are catalyzing a movement across sectors to create multiple pathways for young people to achieve academic, economic, and social mobility.