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Strategic Staffing

Learn more about how Michigan is helping or hindering district’s ability to implement strategic staffing policies.
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Michigan’s Performance

Ungraded
Explore the key policy levers below to learn more about how Michigan is implementing policies to support Strategic Staffing (NCTQ does not assign rankings to states for this policy area.)
See how Michigan performs across policy levers to improve Strategic Staffing
Seeding Innovation
Removing Barriers
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Why focus on Strategic Staffing?

Students need a well-prepared, diverse teacher workforce, yet shortages persist in some schools and subjects.1 Coupled with shorter teaching careers2 and overall job dissatisfaction,3 reimagining teaching through innovative strategies like team teaching, formalized teacher-leader roles, and flexible class sizes has the potential to improve student outcomes and create a more sustainable profession.

Recommendations for Michigan for Strategic Staffing

Removing Barriers

  • Allow districts to apply for a waiver to use paraprofessionals or instructional aides to support instructional activities if under the supervision of a licensed teacher

Seeding Innovation

  • Provide funds that districts can access to supplement pay for teacher leader roles, particularly if the state funding formula is restrictive or not flexible regarding how personnel funds can be used
  • Provide districts with a grant opportunity to cover the initial start-up costs (e.g., technical assistance) to implement a strategic staffing model
  • Require and fund research and evaluations to study the outcomes of strategic staffing models
  • Leverage district networks to support implementation
  • Connect the dots among multiple initiatives statewide 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
  • 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
References
  1. Institute of Education Sciences. (n.d.). School pulse panel. U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved August 12, 2024, from https://ies.ed.gov/schoolsurvey/spp/
  2. Ingersoll, R. M., Merrill, E., Stuckey, D., & Collins, G. (2018). Seven trends: The transformation of the teaching force – Updated October 2018. CPRE Research Reports.
  3. Carver-Thomas, D., & Darling-Hammond, L. (2017). Teacher turnover: Why it matters and what we can do about it. Learning Policy Institute. https://reimagineteaching.nctq.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/08/NCTQ_RT_NL_Teacher-Turnover-Why-it-Matters.pdf