Reimagining
the Teaching Role

How Strategic Staffing Can Attract and Retain Effective Teachers

Our classrooms haven’t kept pace with innovation. The Ford Model T represented breakthrough technology in its day—more than 100 years ago—but it wouldn’t serve us well today. Likewise, our traditional classroom model from the same era doesn’t work well for far too many students and teachers. In fact, as a result of this outdated model, it is more difficult for schools to find and keep great teachers, which ultimately hurts student learning.

It’s time to reimagine the teaching role. Here’s a guide for how to do it.

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Select Your Role

Select your role below to learn more about what it means to reimagine teaching, explore the current state and national landscape, and dive deeper into the steps you can take to innovate.

State Leader

State leader collaborates with others at a table

District Leader

Female district administrator stands at the entryway of a school with a tablet

Ed Prep Leader

Professor walks on campus with students

Advocate

Young professional Black woman advocates at a microphone.

What does it mean to reimagine the teaching role?

Often used interchangeably with terms like “strategic staffing” or “strategic school staffing,” reimagining the teaching role involves disrupting traditional approaches to teaching in favor of innovative solutions like teacher teams to manage the instruction of larger classrooms, flexible scheduling, and new roles for teachers that allow them to advance in their careers while staying in the classroom, making the profession more sustainable—and ultimately leading to improved student outcomes.

Proof that it matters

40%

Students need a well-prepared, strong, diverse teacher workforce, yet shortages persist in some schools and subjects.

During the 2022–23 school year, just over 40% of public schools in low-income areas and those with mostly students of color were fully staffed, compared to 60% in more affluent schools.1

26%

Job dissatisfaction is the leading cause of teacher turnover.

Only 26% of teachers agree that the teaching profession is dynamic: meaning that it has role flexibility and opportunities for growth and leadership.23

1-3 years

Shorter teaching careers have created a less experienced workforce.

In 1988, teachers most commonly had 15 years of experience. As of 2016, teachers most commonly have only 1-3 years of experience.4

63%

Teachers seek a more innovative, collaborative profession.

63% of teachers want more time to collaborate with other teachers. Over 80% are open to co-teaching or team-teaching models.5

+6 months of learning gained

Early evaluations show that redesigning teaching roles can help solve one of the biggest staffing challenges, attracting and retaining great teachers—and in one model it even equated to an extra half year of learning for students.6

National Landscape Snapshot

Explore how state policies impact a district’s ability to reimagine the teaching role, and discover whether your state provides flexibility and funding to catalyze innovation.

See Full National Landscape

Class Size

Teachers
as Observers

Team Outcomes

Restrictions on the Use of Support Staff and Time

Resources

Executive Summary
State Profiles
Models and Approaches
Research Summary

Contact NCTQ

Looking for additional help? Reach out to the NCTQ team to learn more about reimagining the teaching role.

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References
  1. Institute of Education Sciences. (n.d.). School pulse panel. U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved August 12, 2024, from https://ies.ed.gov/schoolsurvey/spp/
  2. Carver-Thomas, D., & Darling-Hammond, L. (2017). Teacher turnover: Why it matters and what we can do about it. Learning Policy Institute. https://reimagineteaching.nctq.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/08/NCTQ_RT_NL_Teacher-Turnover-Why-it-Matters.pdf
  3. Educators for Excellence. (2024). Voices from the classroom: A survey of America’s educators. https://e4e.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/2024-Voices-from-the-Classroom-Report-V2.pdf
  4. Ingersoll, R. M., Merrill, E., Stuckey, D., & Collins, G. (2018). Seven trends: The transformation of the teaching force – Updated October 2018. CPRE Research Reports.
  5. Educators for Excellence. (2024). Voices from the classroom: A survey of America’s educators. https://e4e.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/2024-Voices-from-the-Classroom-Report-V2.pdf
  6. Garcia, J., Wiseman, A. W., Kirksey, J., & Gottlieb, J.. (2021). Ector County Independent School District: Opportunity culture update and program evaluation. In BoardBook Premier. Texas Tech University. https://reimagineteaching.nctq.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/08/NCTQ_RT_ECISD_Evaluation-2021-Opportunity-Culture.pdf