The Opportunity Trust

📢 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

🎉The Gateway Teaching Fellowship has launched! This is a unique opportunity for aspiring educators to gain invaluable instructional experience and immediately make an impact in the classroom. Strong teachers mean better outcomes for kids. We know that teachers are the critical first line in education, and yet we continue to see talented and impactful teachers leaving the field as training programs are defunded and incentives fall short. As part of our commitment to cultivating and retaining talent, we are proud to support the Gateway Teaching Fellowship to ensure that motivated, high-quality teachers receive the training, mentorship, credentials, and pay needed to persevere in a challenging profession and thrive in the classroom. Whether you are a recent graduate or a career changer, the Gateway Teaching Fellowship is your chance to develop your teaching skills while shaping the next generation of leaders and learners in St. Louis. To learn more, check out gatewayfellows.org today! #GatewayTeachingFellowship #GTF #AspiringEducators #AspiringTeachers #CareerChanges #JoinTheMovement

Is your Pre-K staff interested in prepping for a Pre-K Observation Form (PKOF) assessment and improving higher-order thinking?? The STL Pre-K Cooperative and AppleTree Institute for Education Innovation are teaming up to provide free trainings next Tuesday, March 25 (for Pre-K leaders) and Thursday, March 27 (for Pre-K instructors) to build these skills. These trainings are virtual and provided at no cost thanks to a sponsorship from the Expanding Opportunities: Missouri Charter School Program.   Use the link below to register on our website. We hope to see you there! https://lnkd.in/gd8tYQjY #EarlyChildhoodEducation #ECE #PreK #PKOF #HigherOrderThinking #MissouriEducators #ProfessionalDevelopment #ExpandingOpportunities #CSP

Calling all education experts! We are looking for talented and mission-driven capacity builders to support our work with St. Louis Schools and Education Talent development during the 2025-26 School Year. If you have a track record of results in any of the following categories, consider submitting your resume to learn more about how you can bolster our work. 🪴Professional Development ⚙️School Systems 🏫School Leader Coaching 🐣Early Literacy or Math Curriculum and Remediation Learn more and apply on our website today! https://lnkd.in/gZfJg2gt #JoinTheMovement #WorkWithUs #CapacityBuilders #BuildCoalitions