Over 30 attendees gathered Wednesday afternoon for a pre-conference workshop at the AASA National Conference on Education on the Next Education Workforce, a staffing model aimed at addressing teacher shortages, burnout and student achievement gaps.
The session introduced a team-based approach developed at Arizona State University that promotes a more collaborative environment for educators, with the goal of improving both teacher job satisfaction and student outcomes.
Brent Maddin, executive director of the Next Education Workforce, said: “Every student deserves a learning model that meets them where they are and propels them forward.”
The model aims to move away from the traditional one-teacher-per-classroom system and instead encourages teams of educators working together to meet students’ diverse needs.
Maddin and two co-presenters described the current state of education as broken with teaching losing public appeal as a profession, declining enrollments in preparation programs and low student achievement.
Maddin posed the question, “What if the issue isn’t a teacher shortage, but rather a problem with workforce design?”
The solution presented at the workshop is to focus more on how schools are staffed. By rethinking staffing models, schools can empower educators in new ways that improve both teaching and learning outcomes.
The workshop presented three big ideas: First, there’s no one-size-fits-all model as school and community context shape the approach. Second, change is iterative, starting small and scaling as trust builds. Lastly, the model must benefit students, families and communities with input from all voices.
Other presenters — Jan Vesely, professor of practice at Arizona State University; Laura Toenjes, superintendent, Kyrene Elementary School District, Tempe, Ariz.; Carrie Furedy, associate superintendent, Kyrene Elementary School District; and Randy Mahlerwein, assistant superintendent, Mesa, Ariz. — discussed their reasons for being involved with the program.
“Our ‘why’ is to make the work of teachers more manageable for them,” Furedy said. “We want to bring back the joy for our teachers and our students.”
(Amiela Arcellana is a reporter with Conference Daily Online and AASA’s marketing coordinator.)
