“Educator Teams”: A Collaborative Approach to Addressing Teacher Shortages
Arizona State University’s Next Education Workforce is working with schools and districts to implement “educator teams” centered around distributed expertise.Presenter Brent Maddin argues that the “one-teacher, one-classroom” model is unsustainable in light of increased vacancies and demands.Key aims of the team-based model include greater adaptability to workplace changes and reduced teacher burnout.
“What if we don’t just have a teacher shortage problem, but also a workforce design problem?” Presenter Brent Maddin led the Education Committee session with this question, sharing his assessment that issues driving the teacher shortages are not simply limited to labor supply.
Drawing from his experience as a practicing teacher and his leadership at the Next Education Workforce, Maddin painted a broader picture of the education profession itself. He emphasized its dwindling public appeal with a PDK Poll indicating 54% of parents would not like one of their children to take up teaching in public schools as a career – a majority response to this question for the first time since 1969.
Maddin illustrated a teacher workforce in crisis, highlighting a 35% decline in enrollment in teacher-preparator programs, alarming numbers leaving the field, and low student achievement in critical areas such as third-grade reading proficiency.
With 3.5 million classes staffed daily, Maddin argued that the “one-teacher, one classroom model” is unsustainable, as growing vacancies and subsequent staff demands have compounded teacher overwhelm and isolation.
Maddin proposed a vastly different approach and demonstrated the educator “teams” that Next Education Workforce has been implementing in Arizona school districts since 2018.
The team-based model involves a range of educator roles working in collaboration with one another, with primary roles including “education leaders,” “professional educators,” “community educators,” and “paraeducators.” Maddin underscored the model’s greater flexibility in response to workplace vacancies or short-term changes, and its capacity for a more personalized learning experience.
Since Fall 2019, Arizona State University and The Next Education Workforce has helped implement this model in 60 Arizona schools across 8 districts. To date, 150 educator teams serve approximately 13,000 students.
Resources:
Sustainable Financial ModelsPartnership with School Superintendent’s AssociationNext Education Workforce: All ResourcesPresenter Email: [email protected]
Presenter:
Brent Maddin, Ed.D.
Executive Director
Next Education Workforce
Arizona State University | Mary Lou
Fulton Teachers College
Addressing the Teacher Shortage Through Non-Traditional Educator Preparation
College of Southern Idaho has implemented a Non-Traditional Educator Program (CSI-NTEP), designed to meet the education workforce needs of rural districts.The program features multiple entry points and pathways regardless of education level.CSI-NTEP offers a customizable and affordable platform, accessible to students anywhere in the state.
As has been the case in many Western states, Idaho’s rural districts have experienced increased difficulty in maintaining a teacher workforce. This session focused on the College of Southern Idaho’s Non-Traditional Educator Program (CSI-NTEP), designed to assist rural districts in identifying, training, and retaining quality teachers.
In 2018 the Idaho State Board of Education adopted a flexible, performance and competency-based, INTASC-aligned model for teacher preparation. The following year, the College of Southern Idaho (CSI), a community college, was awarded a $1 million grant to operationalize its Non-Traditional Educator Program (NTEP).
The program’s target population is career changers and paraprofessionals, featuring multiple entry points and pathways regardless of education level and focusing on recruiting teachers of color to better reflect student demographics.
CSI-NTEP delivery is through the customizable TeachForward platform. Candidates are assigned a mentor, online courses can be recorded and viewed at the user’s convenience, and a third party assesses performance. CSI-NTEP intends to be affordable and accessible anywhere in Idaho.
Presenter Katie Rhodenbaugh underscored the need for a “deep partnership” with state and local leaders, community members, and school staff to establish committed buy-in. Notable partnerships include the Idaho Workforce Development Council, Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs, and Mission 43, which assists US Veterans with an NTEP pathway to earning teacher certification.
Additionally, CSI-NTEP has teamed with Idaho Business for Education to develop the Youth Apprenticeship Program, facilitating career training and placement for candidates aged 16- 24, while connecting apprentices to funding for needs such as childcare.
Since its inception, CSI-NTEP has grown from 18 candidates to over 100 consistently enrolling in new cohorts each semester. The program has also begun implementing pathways for federal funding after the recent designation of teaching as a federally approved apprenticeship option.
Resources:
Non-Traditional Educator Preparation Program: College of Southern IdahoPresenter Email: [email protected]
Presenter:
Katie Rhodenbaugh
Coordinator, Non-Traditional
Educator Preparation
College of Southern Idaho
Legislator Panel: Western Leaders Discuss Recent Legislation Addressing Teacher Shortage
During the final segment of the Education Committee session, a panel of Western legislators offered participants more profound insight into state policies recently enacted to address the teacher workforce.
Representative Cathy Kipp (Colorado) led the panel by discussing HB22-1220, titled “Removing Barriers to Educator Preparation.” Sponsored by Kipp and passed into law during Colorado’s 2022 legislative session, the bill creates a student educator stipend program where eligible students placed in a 16-week or 32-week academic residency may receive stipends ranging from $11,000 to $22,000.
HB22-1220 also creates an educator test stipend program to reduce financial barriers associated with required student assessment of professional competencies during the teaching licensure process.
Senator Tom Begich (Alaska) described SB 225, which he co-sponsored and introduced during the 2022 legislative session. Key components of the bill include creating a teacher registered apprenticeship program, a teacher residency program, and a paraprofessional training program.
Sen. Begich also discussed using State-Tribal Education Compacting to enhance the educator workforce among indigenous peoples of Alaska.
Representative Troy Hashimoto (Hawaii) described HB 1736, which temporarily allows licensed teachers who have retired to be employed as teachers during a state of emergency and within twelve months of their retirement.
Rep. Hashimoto also described elements of Hawaii’s state budget (HB 1600) which pertain to the teacher shortage, including $150M allocated to compensate teachers based on years of experience, and $35M for increased compensation to teachers in hard-to-fill positions, such as Special Education.
Representative Wendy McKamey introduced participants to Montana’s “Grow Your Own” program, initially implemented through HB 420 in 2019 and since expanded. The bill addresses educator recruitment and retention struggles in rural Montana and Indian Country, establishing a “grow your own” grant to strengthen the state’s teacher pipelines.
Key components of the legislation include the ability to take dual credit courses in education while in high school, to engage in work-based learning opportunities in the field of education, and collaboration with higher education institutions in developing a career pathway for education.
Panelists:
Senator Tom Begich
Alaska State Senate
Representative Cathy Kipp
Colorado House of Representatives
Representative Troy Hashimoto
Hawaii House of Representatives
Representative Wendy McKamey
Montana House of Representatives
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