Report: Pandemic could spur new school staffing approaches

From Education Dive, September 28, 2020, by Kara Arundel

Overnight, it seemed, some teachers’ roles changed from being leaders in their classrooms to including broader responsibilities as mentors and coaches to other teachers, curriculum designers, technology facilitators, data coaches and assessment designers. What if that were the norm, asks the AIR paper.

The differentiated school staffing approach is gaining attention as the pandemic continues to disrupt traditional education approaches and structures and as concerns about educator shortages intensify.

One approach suggested by AIR, and developed by consulting group Public Impact®, is the Opportunity Culture® initiative. In this structure, an experienced and effective teacher leads a small, collaborative team of teachers in the same grade or subject. The multi-classroom leaders use student data to help the team of teachers prepare for instruction, evaluate each student’s educational progress and make adjustments where needed. Read the article…

Keep Learning

New Staffing Models Put Strong Teachers Out Front

From The 74, by Greg Toppo, July 29, 2026 In Carlsbad, N.M., a tiny district in the southeastern corner of the state, nine of its 12 schools have turned teacher assignments upside-down, inviting their best teachers to coach a team of colleagues, model lessons and take...

Rethinking Teaching: New Ways to Staff America’s Schools

From Bipartisan Policy Center, July 8, 2026, by Adam Johnston Why America’s One-Teacher Classroom Needs to Change American classrooms in 2026, in which one teacher instructs 20 to 30 students, are strikingly similar to those from 100 years ago. Most teachers, like a...

ECISD announces $6.3 million in Teacher Incentive Allotment awards

From Odessa American, May 14, 2026 Ector County ISD on Thursday handed out big checks to teachers who earned a designation in the state’s Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) program. This year 532 ECISD teachers were designated by the state, including 175 who are newly...