A Next Education Workforce (NEW) site visit. Courtesy of the Mary Lou Fulton College.
The study, conducted by the Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation at Arizona State University in collaboration with the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE), examined the effectiveness and impact of the Next Education Workforce™ (NEW) initiative—a model that replaces the traditional one-teacher classroom with teams of educators who share students, collaborate on planning, and have clearly defined roles.
Research professors Richard Ingersoll, Lennon Audrain, and Mary Laski co-authored the report.
Key findings:
- Improved Teacher Retention: Teachers working within these teams are far less likely to leave their positions compared to those in traditional classrooms (11.7% vs. 21% for non-NEW teachers, compared to 16% for teachers nationally). Team-based staffing was associated with significantly reduced teacher turnover.
- Elevated Decision-Making Authority: NEW teachers report higher levels of decision-making influence both in their classrooms and school-wide. This authority is linked to lower turnover rates and the study suggests that professional-like authority is a crucial factor in retaining educators.
- Synergy Between Team Membership and Teacher Authority: The combination of being part of a collaborative teaching team and having decision-making authority resulted in the lowest turnover rates observed (6.6% vs. 22% for members with lower authority). Teachers who experienced both benefits were far more likely to stay in their schools and districts.
