Category: From the field

Compared to other teachers in the same district, teachers that participate in Next Education Workforce™ team-based staffing models are more likely to say they would recommend teaching as a profession and plan to still be teaching in five years. These teachers on teams also received higher teacher evaluation ratings than non-teamed teachers.

Tom Fletcher serves as the principal of Ronald Reagan Elementary School in Yuma, Ariz. Reagan Elementary has begun to implement Next Education Workforce team-based staffing models, which has required buy-in from educators, students and parents, as well as some creative problem solving.

Next Education Workforce™ site visits give leaders across the educational landscape who are interested in exploring and implementing team-based staffing models an opportunity to see them in action. Attendees are also able to speak directly with principals and educators who have designed team-based models for their specific context and attend educator and student panels.

With the assistance of an Opportunity Now grant, rural Colorado schools will be able to explore teaching in team-based models with the Next Education Workforce™ initiative at Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College. Here, Andrea LaRocca, senior program manager for the Next Education Workforce, shares how teams of educators with distributed expertise can be more effective, support equity and improve learning outcomes. Learn more about the model and how rural Colorado schools can access resources to get started.