Better outcomes for students.
Better experiences for educators.
Next Education Workforce™ strategic school staffing models empower educators to work in teams to deliver better outcomes and experiences.
Teams make the job of teaching more sustainable and effective
Educators are burned out, unsatisfied and are leaving the profession. Fewer people are choosing to become teachers, leading to staffing shortages in U.S. schools. But, when schools are staffed by educator teams, teachers — and their students — thrive.
With support from ASU, schools across the country are launching successful team-based staffing models
Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation works with schools to design and implement strategic school staffing models that help address root causes of low and inequitable student outcomes, teacher shortages and burnout.
Team-based staffing models are better for students and educators
Early research shows promising results: lower turnover rates and more support for educators; and academic growth and greater levels of engagement for students. Learn how these models are improving outcomes and experiences for both students and educators.
We are all hard-wired as people to work together and yet, we ask our teachers to collaborate outside of the classroom absent of the children they’re serving. The model must change. A remedy exists in the Next Education Workforce, which is changing the design of how teachers work and how they’re supported. It could not have come at a more critical time.
Superintendent
By the numbers
43
School systems
143
Schools
375
Educator teams
27000
Learners
News and insights
See teaming in action at the Detroit Academy of Arts and Sciences
In a short video, educators and leaders at the Detroit Academy of Arts and Sciences share how they’re redesigning roles, collaborating in new ways and building stronger support systems for students and teachers alike through Next Education Workforce™ team-based models.
Next Education Workforce teachers experience lower turnover
New research from the Center for Reinventing Public Education highlights the promise of team-based staffing models in tackling one of education’s most persistent challenges: teacher retention.
Bringing team-based teaching to the Midwest with the Michigan Educator Workforce Initiative
Pilot teams at schools in Concord, Michigan, and the Detroit Academy of Arts and Sciences are part of a broader initiative supporting schools as they explore, design and implement team-based staffing models, through a partnership between Arizona State University’s Next Education Workforce™ and the Michigan Education Workforce Initiative, launched in spring 2024.
In the news
Education Week
June 23, 2025
Bridge Michigan
May 23, 2025
Resources
Elements of the Next Education Workforce
There is no one-size-fits-all Next Education Workforce model. The diverse contexts, assets and needs of each school inform the design and implementation of each model. However, all Next Education Workforce models share several common elements. This document describes the Elements of the Next Education Workforce found across dozens of schools that have launched successful team-based models.
Kyrene de las Manitas Innovation Academy
Kyrene de las Manitas Innovation Academy creates new roles and staffing structures in an effort to attract and retain high-quality staff and reinvigorate teaching.
Dynamic student groupings
How do educator teams leverage dynamic student groupings, differentiate roles and responsibilities and facilitate fluid movement across flexible learning spaces? Explore snapshots of learning spaces to learn more.
Upcoming events
Explore Experience: Sept. 8
Join this live, virtual panel to learn from innovative educators and system leaders who are improving outcomes and experiences for students and educators through team-based strategic school staffing.
Info Session: Sept. 18
Discover the core ideas behind team-based strategic school staffing models and the Next Education Workforce. Ask questions, explore next steps and leave with a new understanding of how these models can transform teaching and learning for educators and students.
Next Education Workforce Site Visits: Models in action Sept. 30–Oct. 1
See team-based school staffing models in action. Join us in Arizona to tour dynamic learning environments and talk with students, educators and school leaders. Then, collaborate with our team to turn insights into action by exploring takeaways and next steps for your context.