From EdNC, by Sharon Contreras and Bryan Hassel, March 18, 2025
No school wants to gamble with their students’ futures. But when teacher shortages loom — with educators leaving the profession and fewer graduates opting to make the classroom their career — schools confront tough odds. Too often, schools are trying to find great teachers to serve every student after being dealt a losing hand.
When The Innovation Project (TIP) and Public Impact joined forces in 2024 to support the inaugural cohort of the TIP Opportunity Culture Consortium, bringing together leaders from five school districts — big and small, rural and urban — to rethink school staffing models, the large conference room was abuzz with renewed hope.
We expected energy, enthusiasm, and innovation from the Wake, Rockingham, Edgecombe, Elizabeth City, and Rowan-Salisbury districts to design the implementation of roles that extend the reach of excellent teaching, pay educators more, and improve student outcomes — and that room exceeded those expectations.
We believe these districts can serve as exemplars for cross-site collaboration across North Carolina, driving innovation, cost savings, talent sharing, and learning results while addressing staffing shortages too.