Students deserve teachers who thrive in a job that is dynamic, rewarding, collaborative and sustainable—especially as we all work to recover from the learning, family and community losses of the past two years. But in an era of unparalleled innovation, the job of an American teacher remains stubbornly unchanged.
Teachers are expected to do it all, in positions that aren’t flexible enough to accommodate the unique challenges of their districts. This one-size-fits-all approach is leading to higher teacher turnover and burnout—and school districts are left scrambling to hire, guide, and retain new staff. By reimagining the teaching job, district leaders can give educators the support they need to have the greatest positive impact on student learning and well-being.
Reimagining the teaching job requires bold leadership and a willingness to challenge long-held assumptions about how people, time, and money are organized in our schools. It’s not an easy task—but it is possible. It will require broad buy-in, a restructuring of long-term costs, and a strategy for continuous improvement to make this vision a reality. By adopting a “Do Now, Build Toward” approach, leaders can address both school- and system-level structures and practices through doable starting points—and take meaningful steps in service of a truly reimagined teaching job.
|
|
THE VISION: REIMAGINING
|
|
|
How system leaders can drive lasting changeRedesigning the teaching job doesn’t have to require significant budget investment. By strategically redistributing resources and money, system leaders can make sustainable change that sticks.
|
|
|
teaching job
|
|
ERS' David Rosenberg joins WNYC Studio's The Takeaway Podcast
Rosenberg recently joined WNYC Studio's The Takeaway podcast with Melissa Harris-Perry to discuss causes of teacher shortages, where shortages are felt most in the U.S., how the political landscape affects educators, and how to retain teachers and improve the core teaching job.
The current moment offers unique opportunities to reimagine how school districts approach teaching and learning, with the potential for significant near- and long-term benefits for students, families and educators.
Our latest analysis explores three different areas of teacher turnover data, telling a nuanced story about teacher turnover that has significant implications for how leaders respond to the unique situation in their communities. Read all three pieces below to learn more and find key takeaways and actions to improve the teacher experience in your district.
We interviewed leaders at Pawnee ISD to see how they're leveraging an Additional Days School Year grant from the Texas Education Agency to provide students with outdoor learning activities and educators with professional learning and collaboration opportunities.