In a just-released report from the National Council for Teacher Quality (NCTQ), researchers propose “reimagining the teaching role” in order to recruit and retain effective educators.  How, NCTQ asks, can we improve obsolete teaching models for both teachers and students? What would this mean for New Jersey?

Let’s start with NCTQ’s definition of the problem: Traditional classroom models (one teacher in front of 25-30 students, also known as “sage on the stage”) isn’t working for the teaching cadre, who find this structure exhausting and demoralizing. We know that students need a well-prepared and diverse teaching force but we face shortages in some areas, especially teachers for students with disabilities, multilingual learners, science, and math. Just last week Chalkbeat reported that classified students in Newark were being turned away from schools due to, among other reasons, lack of qualified teachers.

The bottom line is teachers are unhappy due to stress and lack of opportunity for advancement. “Reimagining the Teacher Role” notes that “only 26% of teachers agree that the teaching profession is dynamic, meaning that it has role flexibility and opportunities for growth and leadership.”

As a result, teachers tend to be less experienced: “In 1988, most teachers had 15 years of experience. As of 2016, most teachers now only have 1-3 years of experience.” (Another factor: younger professionals job-hop more than in previous generations.) In surveys, NCTQ says, teachers have said they want a more “innovative, collaborative profession.” In fact, over 80% are open to different teaching models.

“Just as the Ford Model T doesn’t serve today’s transportation needs, the traditional model of teaching from the same era isn’t working well for many students and teachers,” says NCTQ President Heather Peske. “States need to take action to catalyze innovative staffing models and districts must capitalize on these opportunities to attract and retain teachers who are going to help our students succeed.”

How, NCTQ asks, can we update from an obsolete vehicle to what it calls “strategic staffing models?”  Every state has different policies in place that may inhibit or encourage necessary changes. The NCTQ report includes state profiles that identify areas for improvement to retain an effective teaching force. What do researchers suggest for New Jersey? What policies would we need to change in order to alleviate teaching shortages and improve morale, especially in low-income districts like Newark and Camden where shortages are more severe?

Let’s start with this: We have too many policies that get in the way of reimagining teaching roles. According to NCTQ’s rubric, we meet the bar for a school funding formula that “permits districts the flexibility to use state-allocated funds for various types of positions.” On the other hand, we disallow other potential strategies:

• Compensation: NJ does not  financially support teacher leader roles beyond mentoring (through salary, stipends, etc.).

• Grant Opportunities: NJ does not provide “grant opportunities that could be used to innovate with strategic staffing models.”

• Opportunities for Waivers: NJ does not have “a provision for an ‘innovation zone’ where districts can request waivers of policies that inhibit strategic staffing models.”

• Support for the Teacher Pipeline: NJ does not “financially contribute to differentiated pay for residents, apprentices, or other types of not fully certified teachers who are training to become teachers.”

• Teachers as Observers: NJ does not permit teachers to formally observe other teachers.

On the bright side, NJ allows districts to request waivers on class size and student-to-teacher ratios;  permits districts and schools to determine how teachers use their planning time, including for collaboration; does not restrict paraprofessionals from supporting instruction, and permits districts to use team outcomes on teacher evaluations. 

How can we do better? Here are NCTQ’s recommendations for New Jersey:

• Provide funds for districts to supplement pay for teacher leader roles and ensure our state funding formula is flexible regarding how personnel funds can be used. 

• Provide districts with grant opportunities to cover the initial start-up costs (e.g., technical assistance) to implement a strategic staffing model. 

• Create an innovation zone waiver where districts can apply for exemption from certain state policies if they have a well-articulated plan for implementing a strategic staffing model, including tracking student and teacher outcomes. 

• Pay aspiring teachers a wage or stipend while they are completing clinical practice, especially in hard-to-staff schools and subjects, as a way to support these candidates and teacher pipeline programs (e.g., residencies, apprenticeships) more broadly. 

•  Establish a state policy allowing teachers to observe other teachers or allow districts to seek a waiver if they are implementing a strategic staffing model. 

• Require and fund research and evaluations to study the outcomes of strategic staffing models. 

•  Connect the dots among multiple initiatives across the state so districts can see how strategies such as strategic staffing, academic initiatives, and pipeline programs could all be working together to improve working conditions for teachers and student outcomes.

It is not just NCTQ calling for reimagining teachers’ roles. Another new report from the Center For Reinventing Public Education notes that, due to labor shortages and Covid learning loss (according to new data, the average student has only recovered a third of their learning loss in math and a quarter in reading), it is vital that stakeholders recognize the value of “new, agile, and future-oriented schooling, like allowing teachers to work in teams and taking advantage of generative AI. “Early evidence suggests,” says CRPE, “that participating teachers are more satisfied with their jobs under these models and may even become more effective as a result.”

Maybe it’s time for New Jersey to ditch the Model T.