Teacher retention was among the challenges that prompted leaders in Mesa Public Schools in Mesa, Ariz., to reconsider the one-teacher model in favor of adopting a team-based approach to turn classrooms into lively workspaces for students.

During a Thought Leader presentation Friday titled “The Next Education Workforce: Here, Successful and Expanding,” Mesa officials offered a blueprint for how they made the significant shift in school staffing.

Holly Williams, Mesa’s retired associate superintendent, and Justin Wing, Mesa’s assistant superintendent of human resources, shared the story of how Mesa transformed its approach to classrooms. They were joined by Patti Clark, chief academic officer of Lakeshore Learning Materials, which manufactures educational materials.

The move happened organically at first. When an elementary school teacher quit on the first day of school, leaders partnered with Arizona State University to bring two teaching assistants over to fill the gap, Williams said. An existing teacher at the school served as the lead educator, guiding the assistants.

That team approach worked. And now, the district has more formally adopted the teaming model in multiple schools. As of late 2024, more than 40 schools in Mesa were in the early stages of building educator teams and some 20 of those schools had at least one team, according to Mesa’s website. Some schools have implemented the model schoolwide.

Now, instead of a single teacher in charge of a single roster of kids, a team of adults supports students, Williams shared. In a 3rd-grade shared learning space, for example, 100 3rd graders are served by a lead teacher; two additional teachers; a paid teacher resident, which is facilitated by a university partnership; a special education teacher; student success coaches, who are funded by Title 1; and a digital learning facilitator. Schools also bring in industry-based mentors from local companies to provide support to students

It might sound like quite the team, but “no new staff was hired for this,” Williams reassured the audience. Implementing this plan, however, is not as simple signing off approval for it. Teachers must champion the idea alongside principals, who must understand how to organize teachers together based on their strengths and weaknesses, Williams said.

The approach has been a boon for teachers, especially as more leave the field and fewer college students pursue education degrees, Wing said. Teaming gives teachers support throughout the day — from collaboration on teaching materials to providing adult interaction during the day. Going the entire workday without adult interaction can lead to teacher burnout and retention issues, Wing said.

As part of the move toward teaming, Mesa also reconsidered its classroom environment. Wing and Williams teamed up with Clark  to reinvent Mesa’s classrooms.

The redesigned spaces foster engagement in the community, Williams said. People also witnessed the effort being put into the redesign. “By the time the year was done, we not only had stakeholder engagement, but a kind of consent for both the learning environment change and the teaming,” Williams said.  

Implementing the team model and revamping classrooms can help alleviate problems of retention and job vacancies. It also sends a message to the community and to students.

To reverse the declining numbers of young people interested in pursuing education, education leaders must remember that students “interview” the industry as they travel along their own educational experience, Wing said. When they see teachers overworked and school buildings crumbling, they’ll be less likely to consider the field.

Happier teachers and better classroom environments can reverse the trend, he said.

(Mohammad Tantawi, a senior journalism student at Louisiana State University, is a reporter for Conference Daily Online.)