Five years ago, Jack Elsey was sitting at his desk reviewing school staffing data at the Detroit Children’s Fund when he realized Michigan’s teachers and students needed a new strategy. Each year, his organization raised roughly $7 million to invest in initiatives to expand educational opportunities and create more equitable systems for students citywide, yet over half of those dollars were being spent on talent acquisition.
Hiring and retaining great teachers was, and continues to be, a glaring need not only in the Motor City but across Michigan. That need drove Mr. Elsey to establish the Michigan Educator Workforce Initiative (MEWI), a nonprofit where he and his team design, implement, fund, and support innovative approaches that strengthen educator pipelines.
MEWI is, in many ways, an incubator, providing districts with vital resources, including funding. Unlike state entities, MEWI’s position as an external nonprofit grants it the flexibility to directly fund school districts engaged in developing and implementing innovative staffing models. In 2024, Mr. Elsey and his team funded trips for educators to see Arizona State University’s Next Education Workforce model in action.
The Next Education Workforce model focuses on creating “core teams” of educators who share responsibility for teaching large classes, often from 50 to over 100 students—moving away from the traditional one-teacher-one-classroom model toward one that emphasizes large, flexible, team-based teaching structures. This approach is designed to provide more personalized learning to students and to support educators with stronger pathways to entering and advancing within their teaching careers.
Mr. Elsey believes showcasing the model for potential district adopters in Michigan is vital to convincing district leaders that this work is possible in their own communities. “Seeing it in action and hearing it from the leaders and teachers doing it makes a huge difference,” he said. “Reading about it is different than seeing it in person.”
This fall, MEWI will support two distinctly different districts with funding and technical assistance as they implement the Next Education Workforce model. One of the districts, Concord Community School District, is situated just 90 minutes outside of Detroit. It is a rural district with less than 700 students across its elementary, middle, and high schools. The second district, the Detroit Academy of Arts and Sciences, is an urban, K–8 charter school nestled in the heart of downtown Detroit. Its students and staff reflect Detroit, and it’s no stranger to innovation: The school began offering six-figure salaries to certified, highly effective teachers in 2023.
Looking to the future, MEWI is also supporting six additional districts as they prepare for implementation in the fall of 2025. Schools interested in the program were required to go through a rigorous selection process, including attending webinars, site visits, and ultimately submitting an application to prove their schools had the necessary readiness conditions for the model to be successfully implemented. MEWI is hopeful that by rolling out the model in just a few select schools, they can closely monitor its effectiveness, address any initial hurdles, and gather evidence to convince other district leaders of its value and potential. This data will be crucial for securing additional funding to expand and scale the program later.
This small-scale rollout offers another benefit: ensuring smooth integration with MEWI’s other existing statewide initiatives like the Talent Together program. That program supports aspiring and current teachers in high-need subjects by providing financial aid and guidance throughout their teaching credential process. It even includes a registered apprenticeship component, which MEWI sees as a valuable tool for schools implementing the new staffing model. Notably, both districts chosen for the initial launch are already part of the Talent Together initiative. MEWI anticipates that as both programs grow, the overlap and collaboration between them will only strengthen.
By fostering a culture of innovation through strategic partnerships and providing funding directly to districts, MEWI is laying the groundwork for a stronger educator pipeline in Michigan. As MEWI’s footprint expands and successful models gain traction, MEWI believes there will be impactful, positive change for Michigan’s educators and students.
Asked to reflect on what advice he would give others engaging in this work, Mr. Elsey pointed to the power of relationships: “Our team understands how districts operate. We can speak the language of schools.” This deep understanding, coupled with MEWI’s innovative approach, positions it to be a transformative force in Michigan’s classrooms.