Learn About Our Work
About Our WorkCreating ChangeOur Story

Our Approach

System level change is only possible with:

  • a clear vision and plan;
  • meaningful dedicated financial and human resources over the long term;
  • coordination locally across systems and silos; and
  • connection to best practices nationally and globally.

Our Work

We invest in five key areas to help our public school systems accelerate innovation and improvement in pursuit of equitable access to a quality public education.

Parent and student voice is critical to create quality schools. However, many families are left out of the conversation, or face barriers to access vital information to make decisions about their children’s education.

This results in policies and solutions that fall short of supporting student success.

We invest in organizations and tools to ensure parents and students can more easily navigate our public education systems and their voices are being heard everywhere decisions are being made.

Learn more:
Navigate STL Schools
Bridge 2 Hope
ActivateSTL
SchoolApp STL
Go Beyond Grades

The fastest improving school districts in America enable families access to a diverse range of quality public school options recognizing that no one school model can meet the needs of all children. Our investments in schools are grounded in the lessons from those districts and the nation’s highest performing and most innovative schools.

Expanding successful schools: We work with the board, leadership, and teams of the most effective and innovative pre-K – 12 schools in the region to develop strategic plans focused on increasing their impact.

Developing new schools: We support experienced educators to co-design new and innovative school models with the community. These new schools are designed to meet the 21st century needs of students and families.

Transforming existing schools: We work with existing schools with sound governance and leadership, to provide support with strategic planning, access to world-class curriculum and training, and leadership development.

Learn more:
Pre-K Cooperative
School District of University City
City Garden Montessori School
SchoolApp STL

Educators are essential to high-quality learning environments. Retaining and recruiting strong teacher talent is a number one priority for today’s school leaders.

We are investing in strategies and programs focused on increasing the number and diversity of teachers and school leaders committed to working in our community.

To ensure we can retain those teachers, we work with some of the countries best-in-class capacity builders to provide training and professional development so teachers and leaders are prepared and supported in their craft.

Learn more:
Teach St. Louis
Instructional Leadership Fellowship
Catalyst Fellowship

Data informed decision-making is at the core of continuous improvement within our school systems. School leaders, policy makers, and parents need transparent data.

We support school systems and agencies to collect more meaningful data for strategic improvement. We also sponsor research to answer questions about student academic performance, social-emotional health, staff sense of belonging, teacher support, and more.

Tap below to access our MADE tool for transparent state and local school performance data, and our analysis.

Learn More:
MADE Data Tool

 

Effective state and local policies paired with accountability are necessary to ensure every school system can deliver a high-quality learning environment for students.

We support policymakers in aligning research-informed legislation with community and school system needs. These sound policies ensure public schools can operate effectively and are held accountable for meeting the needs of students and families in each community.

Tap below to learn what students say they need from schools.

Learn More:
Opportunity Myth – TNTP
Funding Equity – St. Louis American
Go Beyond Grades – Missouri Read Lead Exceed
Missouri Senate Bill 727

Preparing our students to be a vital part of the 21st century workforce and to lead in a democracy requires bold change.

Our Story

Ensuring Accountability to Children and Families

In 2016, St. Louis Public Schools transitioned from a state-appointed governing board back to a locally elected board after more than a decade of state oversight. Longtime civil rights and educational equity advocates, Honorable Frankie Muse Freeman and former Washington University Chancellor William Danforth, charged a group of civic leaders with carrying on their legacy to deeply understand our school systems and continue the work to ensure every child in St. Louis has access to an equitable and quality public education.

The collective efforts galvanized many community leaders, inspiring ongoing advocacy for a robust public education system that adapts to the evolving needs of families and the community at large. Thus, the seed was planted for what would later become The Opportunity Trust.

  1.  Read More:

A Community Trust Dedicated to Expanding Educational Opportunity

After a year studying what is working in our nation’s fastest-improving school systems, and engaging locally with parents, teachers, school leaders, community partners, and business and philanthropic leaders, The Opportunity Trust launched in 2018.

Keith Williamson, a longstanding community leader deeply connected to the region and actively involved in education served as the founding Chairman, and Eric Scroggins, an educator and first-generation college graduate with extensive experience in both local and national educational change, served as founding CEO. The organization set out to ensure more children could access quality public schools each year, and to accelerate improvement and innovation in our public education systems in the St. Louis region and across the state.

“The advantage of being the Show-Me State, is that we’re open to learning from successes in other places.” – Eric Scroggins

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Growing Impact Across the Region

In our first five years, we have raised and invested more than $40 million in new philanthropic dollars for education, catalyzing unprecedented momentum toward a more just and responsive public education system.

  • Incubated parent advocacy organizations reaching thousands of parents each year.
  • Launched the PreK Cooperative, drawing down $3 million in unused public funding annually to support the creation of 1,000 high-quality preschool seats.
  • Created 3,000 new high-quality public-school seats through new school incubation, that have all received prestigious national fellowships and funding.
  • Improved the quality of over 6,000 existing public school seats in schools that had strong leadership and were willing to make the necessary changes in curriculum, coaching, and data-driven reflection practices.
  • Supported the passing of vanguard literacy and accountability legislation at the state level.
  • Secured Missouri’s first-ever Federal Charter School Program (CSP) grant of over $35 million.

Read More:

STL Parents Go Digital (St. Louis Public Radio)
Meet Krystal Barnett (Blog)
How the STL Pre-K Cooperative is Increasing Access (Blog)
S.B. 681 – Missouri Read Lead Exceed 
$35.5M Federal grant Awarded (Blog)

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We believe transforming unjust systems requires continuous personal and professional growth.
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