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Issue No. 1: Welcome to the Next Education Workforce newsletter

Welcome to the Next Education Workforce newsletter📨

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Having trouble viewing this email? View the web version: Issue No. 1 | May 13, 2025

What we’re learning about strategic school staffing

For the past seven years, the Next Education Workforce™ has partnered with school systems and communities to rethink how we staff schools. We have redesigned roles and built teams that better meet the needs of both students and educators.

We are launching this newsletter to share what we’re learning about strategic school staffing — from the field, from research and from partners like you. Our goal is to connect, inform and inspire as we continue building new approaches together. You will find real stories, practical tools and emerging insights. Whether you're new to the work or building on years of experience, we hope there is something here to spark your thinking.

In this first issue, here are a few things that have captured my attention:

A visual look at how teams of elementary educators can group and regroup students throughout the day to better meet individual needs and unlock deeper learning for all
A new report that explores how the hidden design of administrative software systems (e.g., student information systems) can either block (or unlock) innovation
A new Virtual Site Visit experience that brings team-based school staffing to your screen, no airplanes required!

Thanks for being on this journey with us — we’re excited to learn with and from you!

Have ideas, questions or challenges you’d like us to explore in future issues? Drop us a line at edworkforce@asu.edu. We’d love to hear from you.

— Brent Maddin, Executive Director

Beyond the list: Rethinking how we dynamically group students and assign educators

A graphic of a quadrant with an assortment of colored dots next to some graphics representing different teachers.

In most elementary schools, teacher assignments are a mix of luck, tradition and sometimes social influence — reinforcing a system where one teacher is matched with one group of students following the same schedule for an entire year. But what if we reimagined the model entirely?

Instead of static rosters, imagine teams of educators dynamically grouping and regrouping students based on real-time needs, interests and strengths. Dynamic student grouping, at the heart of Next Education Workforce models, moves us beyond "one teacher, one classroom" toward a more flexible, responsive and relationship-driven approach to learning. Explore what dynamic student grouping looks like in action — and why it's a game-changer for schools.

Read the blog post

New research reveals a surprising barrier to school staffing innovation: administrative software

A new report co-authored by members of the Next Education Workforce team, Common Group and Siegel Family Endowment reveals that legacy administrative software — like student information systems and scheduling tools — often hinders innovative educational models. These systems, designed for traditional one-teacher classrooms, clash with team-based teaching and flexible learning environments. The paper not only highlights these challenges but also offers a vision for developing responsive systems that catalyze school innovation.

Read the blog post

Virtual Site Visits: A new way to see team-based strategic school staffing in action

A group of teachers sit around a table during team planning time at Westwood High School.

For years, the Next Education Workforce team has welcomed educators and leaders from across the globe to Arizona to see team-based school staffing in action. The opportunity is invaluable but requires time and money to travel. This year, for the first time, we’re excited to offer a *virtual* site visit experience. You can explore three Next Education Workforce school partners through 15 short videos. Hear directly from educators, students and leaders about their journey with team-based staffing, the choices they made and the results they’re seeing. The best part? It’s completely free. Register now for instant access, or consider hosting a watch party with colleagues from your school or organization, no plane ticket required.

Watch now

In the news …

A new study on how one model for team-based teaching is reducing teacher turnover by Richard Ingersoll and Lennon Audrain
Executive director Brent Maddin was featured on the “Wake Up and Teach” podcast and discussed how schools can expand educator teams with community-based roles, substitutes and paraeducators.

What we’re reading and listening to …

Chad Aldeman’s April Education Jobs Update on K–12 employment hitting new highs
Robin Lake’s primer on what the AI Executive Order means for schools across the country

Before you go

Pre-order our new book from Harvard Education Press
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