Innovative staffing models are in the spotlight again after the U.S. Department of Education encouraged districts to use Title II funding to invest in team-based staffing approaches.
Across many districts, staffing structures have evolved to respond to urgent needs with new intervention programs, additional specialists, or expanded support roles. But simply adding new roles does not guarantee stronger learning experiences.
At TNTP, we continue to explore how strategic staffing models can (and should) actively support coherent instruction. Our recent publication, Coherence by Design, shows how coherence drives learning acceleration for all students, especially those who have fallen behind.
Staffing models play a critical role in creating the coherence that ensures all students engage in and are actively prepared for grade-level learning. When every educator in a system can align their efforts to a clear vision of progress, then everyone’s roles make a difference, and students learn more.
Coherence Begins with a Clear Instructional Vision
Instructional coherence comes from aligning instruction, materials, and goals across all learning spaces, from core classes to intervention and other academic supports. But that alignment is most effective when there’s an instructional vision to align to. All efforts then point to the same goal.
A clear instructional vision defines where a district wants to go, what that looks like in practice, and which existing roles help or hinder progress. Once that vision is set, a strategic staffing model can detail the clear roles and responsibilities that will support instructional coherence.
A Strategic Staffing Model Designed to Build Coherence
When roles are clearly defined to support coherence and dedicated to aligning systems and structures across tiers—such as data practices, materials, and collaboration structures—staffing innovation can become a powerful lever for improving teaching and learning.
An especially powerful strategic staffing model includes a teacher-leader role with a clearly articulated charge for promoting instructional coherence within a subset of educators across grade bands or content levels. In this design, teacher-leaders go beyond the vague task of coaching teachers and assume the responsibilities of administering diagnostics, analyzing data, identifying specific student needs, ensuring both Tier I and intervention instruction address those needs, and monitoring progress over time. Creating this role presents leaders with a compelling opportunity to retain special education teachers, bilingual teachers, and other specialists by elevating them to leadership positions where they can apply and expand their expertise in supporting students across various learning spaces.
But coherence depends on more than one role. While every educator requires a clearly articulated charge for their individual work, there also needs to be a shared understanding of how each role distinctly contributes to the instructional vision. Ideally, teacher leaders work in partnership with a building leader (like an assistant principal or instructional coach) leading the broader instructional vision, while school leaders receive aligned supports and direction from their managers at the system level.
What We’re Learning in Tennessee
Our work with districts in Tennessee offers an early look at how staffing models can be intentionally designed to support instructional coherence.
Through the Tennessee Educator Staffing Innovations (TESI) Network, TNTP is partnering with districts to explore how staffing models can strengthen coherence across instruction and intervention. This work is part of a national effort led by the Center for Inspired Teaching & Exceptional Learning, a Community of Practice for technical assistance providers and their school system partners who are piloting strategic staffing models to strengthen their instructional visions. In Tennessee, our pilot partnerships have introduced new teacher-leader roles focused on ensuring that math and literacy instruction remain aligned across learning spaces.
These teacher leaders support classroom teachers in implementing high-quality curriculum while also working closely with interventionists to connect additional supports directly to Tier I learning. Instead of operating as separate programs, intervention and core instruction are linked: Educators share a common understanding of what students are learning in class, what concepts are coming next, and how targeted support can prepare students to engage successfully with grade-level work.
Early lessons from this work suggest that when staffing structures are designed to support coherence, schools can build stronger instructional models more quickly. With clear leadership around curriculum and alignment across instructional roles, schools are better positioned to accelerate learning, particularly for students who have historically struggled the most.
TNTP’s Approach to Coherence-Driven Staffing Innovation
When we work with new districts launching strategic staffing models, we use a coherence-driven approach:
- Develop a clear instructional vision: We start by identifying strengths and opportunities in your current staffing system with an eye toward strengthening instructional coherence. We help leaders set a clear vision, so every staffing decision supports excellent instruction.
- Align school-level systems, structures, schedules, and resources: We work alongside school and district leaders to ensure resources, curriculum, data systems, collaboration structures, and schedules are in alignment and reinforce a coherent instructional vision.
- Ensure your strategic staffing model supports redesigned systems: We support the design of a strategic staffing model that incudes clearly defined responsibilities for teacher leaders that build and sustain instructional coherence within a specific grade band or content area.
- Pilot, learn, refine: We help you start small with an instructionally coherent intervention pilot and gather data over time on how new roles and team structures support (or complicate) coherence, so you adjust the model according to your context and students’ needs.
When districts lead with coherence, staffing innovation can be a powerful lever for instructional improvement. TNTP’s experience in the field shows what’s possible—when roles are intentionally designed to keep instruction, content, and goals aligned, both educators and students benefit.
If your district or school system is ready to explore a coherence-driven approach to innovative staffing, TNTP is ready to help.
