Tag: Arizona

Susana Cordova and Carole Basile talk via Zoom.

How the 2026 Strategic School Staffing Summit reflects a turning point in the field

The seventh annual Strategic School Staffing Summit, hosted by Arizona State University’s Next Education Workforce™ initiative, took place Feb. 4–5, 2026, and featured more than 30 virtual sessions on how schools, systems and states are building and sustaining team-based staffing models, reflecting a field gaining traction and moving toward scale.

Headshots of Megan Rios, Lindsey Holmes, Kelly L Owen and Haley Hurst.

‘A night-and-day difference:’ Educators share how teaming has changed their schools for the better

Four educators from across the country shared how teaming shapes their day-to-day work in a session entitled “A Conversation With Educators Working in Next Education Workforce Models” during the 2026 Strategic School Staffing Summit.

An illustration of educators teaching in teams with students.

Team-based school staffing expands across states, improving outcomes and experiences for students and educators

Across 16 U.S. states and two countries, educators are working in teams rather than alone, creating more student-centered learning environments while building careers that are collaborative, sustainable and satisfying. In just seven years, Next Education Workforce­™ team-based staffing models have grown from a single school to 128 schools serving roughly 33,000 students.

Missy Eidsness, Beth Olson and other women listen to a presentation in the library of Stevenson Elementary School.

A national first: North Dakota’s new approach to team-teaching

North Dakota became the first state in the nation to be approved by the U.S. Department of Labor for a new Lead Teacher Registered Apprenticeship, building upon the state’s pioneering efforts to strengthen its education workforce pipeline.

A Q&A with the authors of ‘Unlocking the Potential of Team-Based Staffing’

In this Q&A, co-authors Brent W. Maddin, Lennon Audrain, Lisa Maresso Wyatt and Kaycee Salmacia share the experiences that helped shape the book and their work with the Next Education Workforce; what they hope school and system leaders will take away from the book; and why this book is important, especially now.