Building team-based school models in California

Educators in nearly 50 schools in Arizona are now teaching in teams, a model that aspires to improve outcomes for learners and experiences for teachers. Soon, a new wave of educators in California schools will join them thanks to a grant from Silicon Schools Fund that connects California schools to national resources via an educational nonprofit.

Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College and California-based Thrive have launched a new partnership to help California educators pilot, design and implement teams in their schools. 

“We’re excited to empower teachers to work in teams and better serve students,” said Nicole Assisi, CEO of Thrive, which provides coaching, strategic planning and program evaluation to educators. “Transforming staffing models is, at its core, about creating learning environments where adults and children thrive.”

The predominant one-teacher, one-classroom model does not reliably deliver quality learning experiences for nearly enough people. It systematically underdelivers for students of color and for students from low-income backgrounds. The challenge is exacerbated by teachers leaving the profession — or choosing not to become teachers at all. 

“Meeting those challenges is not easy. What’s required is nothing short of redesigning the workforce,” said Kaycee Salmacia, senior director of national networks, strategy and operations for the Next Education Workforce, the college initiative that supports the implementation of new staffing models. “As schools struggle to staff adequately and provide high-quality experiences for learners and educators, we have to acknowledge that we don’t just have a teacher shortage or preparation problem, but rather, a workforce design problem.”

The Next Education Workforce initiative works with schools and other partners to 1) provide all students with deeper and personalized learning by building teams of educators with distributed expertise and 2) empower educators by developing better ways to enter the profession, to specialize and advance. 

To transform staffing, schools need support. ASU provides virtual and in-person professional learning, including cohorts for system-level leaders, school-level leaders and teams of educators. It also provides local, school-based personalized support to Arizona schools. Now, with Thrive, California schools will be able to access similar local support.

“Educators deserve coaching and resources, especially as they embark on transformational work like redesigning schools,” said Liam Honigsberg, director of national networks for the Next Education Workforce. “Thrive’s deep relationships with California educators and leaders mean they have the knowledge, experience, background and ability to partner with schools, help them achieve their goals, and ultimately launch teams of educators in a way that’s most impactful for that community.”

Assisi agreed. “This work is responsive and iterative and personalized to the school and context. All of our coaches are former school principals who have done the hard work of transforming schools in California.”

During the 2023–25 school years, California schools that want to transform their staffing models will receive direct assistance, coaching and professional learning. This fall, system and school leaders from participating schools will join ASU’s Learning Cohort, a series of four virtual sessions to explore what these team-based models could look like in their contexts. Between the sessions, Thrive will provide virtual coaching sessions to help system and school leaders navigate the process and build buy-in for the change. 

In January, school-level leaders will join a Leader Launchpad, a six-session virtual cohort to plan the launch of their educator teams. Thrive will support school leaders and educators with full-day, on-site planning meetings and additional virtual coaching. 

By summer 2024, those new educator teams will attend an ASU Summer Institute designed to prepare them to work together in the fall. Thrive will continue on-site planning to support educators and launch a new series of monthly implementation coaching meetings.

To apply, California school or system leaders should complete an application. Participating schools will be selected on a rolling basis.

“This is an incredible opportunity to be a part of a national movement but with hyperlocal impact,” Assisi said.

Learn more

Build team-based schools in California

What is the Next Education Workforce?