As districts work to address staffing challenges and stagnant or widening student learning gaps, they should examine their own data to identify the purpose and goals that a new strategic staffing model would seek to address.

• Ector County Independent School District (TX) designed a new staffing strategy to create better working conditions and offer teacher leadership opportunities to fill its over 350 vacancies. The district faced a dire need to do something radically different to attract and retain talent to best serve its students. It has since achieved remarkable decreases in vacancies and increases in student learning—with significant gains for English learners.

School leadership matters, especially when building buy-in for sweeping changes that directly impact how teachers work on a daily basis. Multiple district leaders expressed to us the importance of not forcing this type of significant change upon leaders and teachers. Instead, encourage a collaborative process where everyone feels agency and commitment to the end goals. Each district will need to assess its readiness to begin the journey.

If you are doing it right, strategic staffing models likely look different in each school. Therefore, providing principals with funding flexibility allows them to think creatively about how they can best use positions differently to meet student needs in their building.

• Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (NC) and Ector County Independent School District (TX) leadership both noted that giving school leaders flexibility in determining the specific positions needed in their schools was critical to making their strategic staffing models work.

Districts do not need to shoulder the financial burden alone. As part of the federal Teacher and School Leader Incentive Program grant, three districts (Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Fort Worth, and Montgomery County [MD]) received $7.7 million total to implement strategic staffing models. The grant will support start-up costs associated with redesigning staffing models, as well as training and coaching for teacher leaders.

Most districts that have embarked on this work have selected a partner to provide support on the redesign of their staffing models, as well as ongoing technical assistance and coaching support. Expert guidance is vital to ensuring that schools are effectively implementing the roles and responsibilities of teacher leaders and all team members.

While early research shows that some strategic staffing models can have a positive impact on student learning, teacher satisfaction, and teacher retention, more investigation is needed to expand the research base.

• Ector County Independent School District (TX) contracted with Texas Tech to conduct an external evaluation each year for three years to continue to learn from implementation and gauge whether the model was leading to what they ultimately desired: increased teacher satisfaction and student learning.