TNTP has supported districts nationally to adopt and implement Middle School OpenSciEd units, and is beginning this support at the High School level as the Biology, Physics, and Chemistry units are rolling out. Support includes teacher and school leader trainings, PLCs, classroom observations and coaching, and training teachers as teacher leaders. An example of how we support schools and districts in adopting OSE is our work with 10 middle schools in TN over a multi-year implementation period. Teachers participate in a four-day OSE curriculum launch and receive materials to implement the selected unit. Teachers collaborate in virtual PLCs led by TNTP that support teachers to reflect on their experience with OSE and extend their learnings on phenomena-based instruction, coherence for students, and equitable discussions to future lessons and units. In the second year, teachers attend a two-day training and receive the materials for another OSE unit to implement. The third year of the program focuses on capacity-building and sustainability by working with a select group of Science Teacher Leaders positioned to carry the work forward at the conclusion of the grant.

TNTP authored The Opportunity Myth, identifying grade-appropriate assignments, strong instruction (where students do most of the thinking), deep engagement, and high expectations for students as the four resources that result in better outcomes for all students. We work with schools and districts to set a vision, build leader and educator capacity, align systems, progress monitor, and continuously improve to ensure that everyone in the system effectively leverages high-quality materials when working to meet the needs of the students they serve. TNTP recognizes the power of high-quality instructional materials as a critical driver of student success, especially for students of color, students experiencing poverty, those with learning and thinking differences, and multilingual learners. They set a foundation for coherence across instructional systems, stability for students who move from school to school, and set a high bar for student experiences, particularly for the quality of instruction and assignments they receive. Our materials implementation services support partners to build the mindsets, knowledge, and skills educators need to implement HQIM with integrity, collaborate with their colleagues, and partner with families and caregivers to meet the needs of all their students, especially the students systems have historically and systematically marginalized.

TNTP works at the school system level to identify systems and structures that are impacting professional learning and student experiences and outcomes to identify ways in which we can build capacity in stakeholders to change manage to create sustainable approaches to professional learning and support. The goal is for school systems to have a coherent strategy and understanding of change management so they can maximize the potential of instructional materials as a tool to disrupt inequity. Beyond providing guidance and planning support, this work requires deep engagement with our partners to develop the mindsets, knowledge, skills, and leadership capacity to integrate HQIM into the broader academic system. We call this alignment across the ”vertical spine of support.” TNTP works to educate leaders on the science of learning, and research-based pedagogical approaches that enable strong professional learning, as well as systems that support implementing learnings and cycles of feedback and support to enact instructional shifts and continued progress. TNTP supports multi-year contracts in order to plan, implement, and create support structures for continued implementation to sustain professional learning and development within school systems.