Today, more Americans seek careers that offer financial stability, flexibility, collaboration, and a sense of purpose. While teaching is one of the most meaningful careers, the profession’s rigid structure and challenging conditions lead to high rates of stress and burnout and discourage potential educators from entering the field. Teachers’ job satisfaction, which has been declining steadily over the past fifteen years, lags that of other U.S. workers. And only 19% of teachers would recommend the profession.

It’s time to reimagine the role of educators and right-size the job so teachers and students can thrive. Within our schools portfolio, we have observed a strong positive relationship between school culture, teacher retention, and student outcomes. The implications are clear. Students thrive when educators thrive. Recent international studies also reinforce the significant impact of educator well-being on student success. These impacts are greatest for students furthest from opportunity, including students experiencing poverty, students of color, and students with learning differences.

What We’re Looking For

NewSchools invests in innovative approaches that make teaching a more sustainable, effective, and joyful profession. We build on what works and catalyze new approaches. 

We’re especially excited to support ideas from those who understand the problem best: our educators. We fund ideas that address one or more of the following opportunities: 

• Redesign educator roles: Providers that help schools adopt new collaborative staffing models to improve educator effectiveness and well-being  
  
  
• Bridge school and community: Organizations that support schools to integrate caregivers, community experts, or industry professionals onto instructional teams
  
  
• Leverage AI: Solutions co-designed with educators to strengthen their instructional practice and prepare them to use AI safely and effectively