The Opportunity Trust

This is awesome! We are so excited to see the joy on the faces of these students and families breaking barriers and changing the narrative of what is possible for students from St. Louis. These students weren't just given a trip to Costa Rica - they worked hard to earn it - learning the ins and outs of the coffee industry, including entrepreneurship, agriculture, and geography, to fundraise and build context for this exciting experiential opportunity. Congratulations to the students of Show Me The World Project, and shoutout to program founders (and former Catalyst Grantees) Samantha Lurie Carroll and Sylvester Chisom for their work building this program from the ground up. We hope you all had such an exciting and transformative time seeing the world!

It is Election Day in St. Louis! Not only do you have a chance to weigh in on the mayoral election, but you also have a chance to help choose the direction of our public school system by voting for the Board of Education for the City of St. Louis. As our Board Members Keith Williamson and Bishop Michael Jones shared in a recent op-ed published by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "The stakes could not be higher. The three board members elected this spring will oversee... decisions that directly impact the futures of more than 16,000 children and teachers. When students don’t succeed, our entire city feels the effects — lost economic opportunities, unsafe neighborhoods, and deepening cycles of poverty. Strong public schools create thriving communities and a stronger local economy, but that requires leadership that puts children first." Read more about the importance of voting in this critical election: https://lnkd.in/guf4mQPZ And learn more about the candidates in this brief candidate guide compiled by St. Louis Public Radio: https://lnkd.in/gvPNJ2j4 #Vote #BoardOfEducation #CivicResponsibility #StLouisSchools #StLouisStudents

Instructional Leadership Fellowship Applications are officially open! The first 3 cohorts of our Instructional Leadership Fellowship (ILF) have been inspiring; nearly 30 instructional coaches from 12 local school districts have dedicated countless hours to improving their leadership and strengthening coaching and teaching practices at their schools. Are you ready to join this group of school leaders reimagining what it means to deliver high-quality teacher training to drive student outcomes? The application for our next ILF Cohort is open on our website until April 28th. We will also be hosting a virtual information session tomorrow, April 8th at 4pm if you'd like to learn more! Register for the information session or apply for the fellowship on our website linked below. We also encourage you to share the application with any school leaders or aspiring instructional coaches who would benefit from this intensive cohort experience. https://lnkd.in/gAHwAdFV #InstructionalLeaders #InstructionalLeadership #InstructionalLeadershipFellowship #ILF #TeachingTeaching

📢 The Reinvention By Community Grant Application is now OPEN! The Reinvention By Community (RBC) Selection Committee is eager to review your proposals for ideas that support students experiencing homelessness. Selected applicants will receive the funding and technical support needed to pilot their programs - key resources for launching revolutionary programs dedicated to learning, student growth, and community empowerment. Join us this evening for an information session to meet the committee and learn more about this grant cycle. You can register here: https://lnkd.in/gwWBnXUN You can also check out a recent Fox 2 News segment featuring two RBC committee members, Diana Spells and Mauri Scott, as they spread the word about the RBC grant cycle and the urgent need to support unhoused students in St. Louis: https://lnkd.in/ghB6f96H

This year's Reinvention By Community (RBC) Grant Advisory Committee -- our panel of community leaders -- has been hard at work establishing a foundation for this year's grant program. With their local perspective and deep understanding of community needs, the committee is particularly well-positioned to determine which project proposals will have the greatest possible impact. We are excited to share that a few of the committee members will appear on Fox 2 tomorrow morning around 7:40 AM - tune in to hear directly from the committee about the importance of this community grant program, their experiences learning about education in St. Louis, and the decision-making process that led to this year's theme: projects that support unhoused youth. See below to learn key details about the 2025 RBC grant cycle- and please join us in congratulating the committee members on their selection! The 2025 Reinvention by Community Advisory Committee is: + Gwen Russom + Mauri Scott + Diana Spells + Steward Stiles III + Ellen Usher + Larenzo Williams Check out our website for more details about the grant, including details about the application and registration for our upcoming info session on April 3rd. bit.ly/TOT-RBC #ReinventionByCommunity #EmpowerChildren #AdvanceEquity #CommunitySolutions #Innovation

Our celebration of Women's History Month concludes with the recognition of Dr. LaChrisa Crenshaw and her unmistakable impact on our region. Dr. Crenshaw is the Executive Director of The Youth and Family Center, a former Reinvention by Community grant recipient, and a committed St. Louisan with an extensive track record of service in the fields of education, health, social justice, and community development. We are proud to have partnered with Dr. Crenshaw along the way, and are inspired by her lived commitment to strengthening St. Louis by expanding educational opportunities, supporting programs and organizations that empower our children and families to thrive, and "serving daily with light, joy, and a commitment to love unconditionally." Join us in thanking Dr. Crenshaw for her tireless work and historic impact on our St. Louis community! #WomensHistoryMonth #StLouisCommunity #BuildCoalitions #EmpowerChildren

Did you know that students who do not meet reading proficiency standards by the end of 3rd grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school without graduating than students who meet the standards? With this eye-opening statistic in mind, our friends at St. Louis County Library have launched the Gateway to Reading program, one of several initiatives they are using to lead our communities in a full-court press for literacy. Gateway to Reading shares a variety of resources with everyone from early learners to older readers to build their reading ability using Science of Reading-backed practices. Resources include Reading Kits, Phonics Playbooks, and in-person workshops to help educators and caregivers learn to use these resources effectively. Learn more at their website, and help spread the word about this valuable community resource! https://lnkd.in/g3jBk3dr #Literacy #GatewayToReading #EarlyLiteracy #ReadingIsLit #Libraries #StLouis

At The Opportunity Trust, we have spent the winter fueling critical conversations and kicking off initiatives that we hope will drive lasting change for the children of Missouri. We are proud to share our Winter 2025 Newsletter featuring some exciting updates about: ⚜️ St. Louis Day and Legislator Collaboration on Missouri's 2025 Policy Agenda, 🏫 Our partner schools who are leading the way in the latest MAP data scores, 📏 The Gateway Teaching Fellowship, a new program looking to tackle Missouri's teacher shortage, 📚 The Emerson Early Literacy Challenge participants' collaboration with national literacy leaders, ➕ And much more... Read on to help us keep these critical conversations alive and let us know if there are any key stories we should keep our eyes on for our next newsletter! https://lnkd.in/gNE4XnWn #LeadingChange #TOTCelebrates

Our celebration of Women's History Month continues as we recognize the remarkable impact of Jemina Bernard, President and COO of Teach For America, and a board member at The Opportunity Trust. Jemina has spent her career empowering students, leading a handful of school networks to impressive results, and empowering leaders, guiding Teach for America as an executive cultivating the next generation of educational leadership since 2019. Today, we celebrate her work empowering women, having led a national network of all-girls public schools, and continuing to mentor young women to life and career success. We are deeply grateful for Jemina's leadership on our board, and her tireless work empowering communities to achieve more through education. We know that expanding access to quality schools for the St. Louis community is hard work, but with Jemina's expertise and laser focus on student outcomes, we are confident this is a goal we can achieve. #EmpowerChildren #WomensHistory #Leadership #TOTCelebrates

We were thrilled to join Bloomberg Philanthropies, BELIEVE STL Academy, BJC Health System and fellow healthcare and education partners from across the U.S. last week to collaborate in shaping the future of healthcare-focused high schools! We've seen first-hand BELIEVE Schools Network the way that career-focused high schools can galvanize students towards academic and career success and we celebrate this initiative's impact on thousands of students nationwide with bright futures in healthcare! #TOTCelebrates Jesse Dixon Jawn Alexzandra Manning