At CRPE, we study how the teacher workforce can evolve to meet students’ changing needs and create more sustainable roles for educators. Our research explores new staffing models, including ASU’s Next Education Workforce™, that reimagine how adults collaborate in schools—shifting away from the one-teacher, one-classroom model toward team-based approaches that expand instructional capacity and support. We examine how these innovations can improve teacher retention, elevate the profession, and ensure that students have access to diverse expertise. By analyzing emerging models and their impact, we aim to understand how the education workforce can be redesigned to better serve both students and educators.
One of us (Carole) was recently asked what a world without colleges of education would look like. Carole’s response: “I’m not sure the world would miss us.” And she spoke as the dean of one of the largest colleges of education in the country.
As schools across the nation struggle with teacher shortages, a new study from Richard Ingersoll, Lennon Audrain, and Mary Laski points to a promising solution: redesigning the structure of classrooms and the role of teachers.
Introduction Key Findings Data and Methods Implementation of the Next Education Workforce Elements Teacher Decision-Making Influence Relationship between Team Membership and Decision-Making Influence with Teacher Turnover Conclusion Introduction For over a century, the “egg-crate model of schooling,” which isolates each teacher in an individual classroom, has shaped the teaching profession.
AI has transformed the education landscape, but are teacher preparation programs keeping pace? In CRPE’s latest report, we surveyed leaders from schools of education to understand how their faculty and preservice teachers are engaging with AI, their views on its long-term impact, and how institutions are embedding AI into their curricula.
Concerns about the teacher workforce are rising, with fewer teachers recommending the profession and decreasing interest among students. In response, school systems are redesigning teacher roles to make the job more appealing and sustainable.
Innovative staffing models are promising, but challenging to scale up. What does the work of leading strategic staffing involve, and what could make scaling up easier?
This blog is part of a three-part series on school systems that have been implementing workforce innovations or strategic staffing solutions for several years.
Principal Economist and Principal Research Associate, Westat
Professor Emeritus, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Research Affiliate
Research Scientist, Education Analytics
Professor and Dean Emeritus, School of Educational Studies, University of Washington
Education Consultant
Co-President, Public Impact
Education Finance Consultant
Research Coordinator
William A. Johnson Professor of Government; Professor of Politics, Pomona College