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Issue No. 2: What we learned this year about strategic school staffing

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

Issue No. 2: What we learned this year about strategic school staffing

What I want for my own children and for every student

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Having trouble viewing this email? View the web version: Issue No. 3 | Aug. 19, 2025

What I want for my own children and for every student

Like many of you, I’m sending my kids back to school this month. In our household, that means new backpacks, shifting routines and a hope that the next 180 days are filled with growth, joy and belonging.

As a parent, I find myself wondering: What will this year look like for my kids? Who will be guiding them? Will their educators talk to one another — really talk — about what each of them needs, what lights them up and where they need support?

It’s moments like these that remind me why our work matters so much.

When schools take a team-based approach to staffing, families feel that difference. In elementary settings, teaming can take the guesswork out of which teacher a student gets because educators are working together, sharing students and aligning supports across a grade level. In secondary schools, teaming allows educators to share responsibility for a group of students, coordinating across subjects, aligning expectations and designing interconnected experiences that reflect the complexity of their learners.

That’s what I want for my own children and for every student. And it’s why I’m grateful to partner with schools and systems across the country that are building more collaborative, student-centered models.

This month, you’ll find new research on teacher retention in team-based models and a spotlight on how one high school is expanding teaming across grade levels. We’re also asking for your support in bringing team-based staffing to a national audience: please take a moment to vote for our SXSW EDU proposals.

We hope what you read sparks ideas and offers something useful to take back to your own team or community this year.

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

New research links teacher leadership and teaming to higher retention

Lennon Audrain sitting at a table with a group of high school students.

A new study from the Center on Reinventing Public Education, co-authored by Richard Ingersoll, Mary Laski and our own Lennon Audrain, highlights the promise of team-based staffing models in tackling one of education’s most persistent challenges: teacher retention.

The study shows that teachers on Next Education Workforce teams not only experience greater collaboration and shared responsibility but also report significantly higher levels of decision-making influence in their classrooms. These factors appear to contribute to lower teacher turnover, a critical outcome, especially in states like Arizona, where staffing shortages remain acute.

Read the full report

Spotlight on Westwood High School

A Westwood High School teacher sitting with three students.

Westwood High School in Mesa, Ariz., has been actively designing team-based staffing models since 2018-19. Original team-based pilots supporting incoming 9th-grade students yielded clear benefits: reduced failure rates, increased attendance in core academic classes and positive student feedback. Building on this success, Westwood has expanded its implementation of teams to 10th and 11th grade as well.

Learn more about the success of teams

We need your vote to bring team-based staffing to SXSW EDU

A graphic with the words: Vote for my PanelPicker idea. Community voting. August 5-24, 2025.

We’re excited to have two session proposals in the running for SXSW EDU 2026, and we’d love your support! Voting is open now through Aug. 24. It just takes a minute to cast your vote and help bring the power of educator teams to one of education’s biggest stages. Thank you for helping elevate this work. We hope to see you in Austin!

How to vote:

Click on the buttons for each session below
Sign in or create a free account
Click the heart icon❤️ next to each to vote!

Middle school reimagined: Educator Teams for Student Success

In partnership with Albuquerque Public Schools and the Albuquerque Teachers Federation, this session highlights how educator teams are creating more responsive, engaging learning experiences to better meet the needs of middle schoolers.

Featuring: Lennon Audrain (Next Education Workforce), Ellen Bernstein (Albuquerque Teachers Federation), Rebecca Sanchez (Albuquerque Public Schools) and Leslie Saucedo (Albuquerque Public Schools)

Vote for: Middle school reimagined

Making HQIM stick: Teams and teacher leadership

No more stagnant student achievement — come explore how team-based staffing and high-quality instructional materials together can transform learning.

Featuring: Chong-Hao Fu (Leading Educators), Bryan Hassel (Public Impact), Brent Maddin (Next Education Workforce) and Kira Orange Jones (Teach Plus)

Vote for: Making HQIM stick

Before you go

Mark your calendar: The Call for Proposals for the 2026 Strategic School Staffing Summit opens Sept. 2. Our next Summit will take place Feb. 4-5, 2026.
See team-based school staffing models in action. Register to join us in person in Arizona at a Site Visit this fall
Hear from educators and leaders successfully implementing team-based staffing models with a free, virtual Explore Experience
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