The landscape of education is shifting, and with it, the roles of educators are being redefined. Today, KnowledgeWorks released, Envisioning Educator Roles for Transformation, which offers a visionary exploration of how educator roles might evolve over the next decade.

No longer purveyors of knowledge, educators today are expected to guide students in constructing their understanding of complex concepts and 21st-century skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving and creativity. Despite their pivotal role, many educators feel burned out and undervalued. This paper acknowledges these challenges and aims to reimagine what might be possible in the future.

The paper presents eight future educator roles designed to make education systems more equitable, learner-centered and better places for adults to work.

“Looking ahead ten years at how educator roles could change, we hope to spark fresh thinking about what could be possible for education systems and the people working and learning in them,” noted KnowledgeWorks Vice President of Foresight and Strategy Katherine Prince. “We invite education constituents to imagine what roles could be useful in their contexts or in education systems generally.”

Individuals from across the U.S. participated in a workshop to generate ideas for possible future educator roles included in this paper. Their contributions reflect a diverse range of perspectives and innovative thinking, aimed at addressing the systemic challenges faced by educators today.

"The vitality of our education system relies on the satisfaction and sustainability of our educator workforce. One way we can make joining the educator workforce more attractive, satisfying and sustainable is by designing and implementing new roles for educators —novice, seasoned and even educators from the community,” said workshop participant Lennon Audrain, PhD, a research assistant professor for the Next Education Workforce Initiative at Arizona State University.

As conversations about educator shortages and working conditions continue, it is crucial for state, district and school leaders to consider ways to respond to educators’ needs.

“Strategic school staffing models like the Next Education Workforce's team-based models can supercharge these roles by transforming how teachers work with one another to deliver better, deeper and more personalized learning experiences to students in our system," Audrain added.

Reimaging the design of the educator workforce also means considering the diverse needs of learners and exploring what their ideal learning systems might look like. How might educator roles in the future help foster deeper connections with students, enhance learning experiences and address systemic inequities?

This paper serves as a catalyst for these crucial discussions, emphasizing the importance of long-term planning and systemic change in building a future-ready education system.

“By exploring these future roles, we aim to inspire education leaders and stakeholders to think beyond immediate challenges and consider transformative changes that could benefit both educators and students,” Prince said.