Dana Bryson is SVP of Social Impact at Study.com.
The other day, my 10-year-old asked me whether or not a teacher would still be a job option in the future. I shouldn’t have been as surprised by the question as I was. My daughter is coming of age as AI takes a front seat in our lives. She experiences and identifies her teachers as trusted guides to support students academically and mentally. Sitting across from her at our kitchen table, I marveled at how she astutely understood that if we don’t elevate the teaching profession now, classrooms in the future will be void of trusted adults to guide learners through the foundational social-emotional and academic learning necessary to thrive.
Teachers are foundational to the American workforce. The rapid pace of technological advancements, the emergence of gen AI and the urgent need to address climate change are transforming not only the jobs available but the very nature of both the workplace and the way we work. To remain globally competitive and ensure our educator workforce is equipped with the skills, knowledge and confidence needed to compete and grow, I believe our leaders must focus on investing in our education system.
Research shows that teacher quality can have a major impact on children’s lifelong learning, well-being, self-esteem and overall success. High-quality teachers can increase student learning, while also increasing their long-term economic and social outcomes. If you consider yourself a leader, you know that you can be a change-maker. And to really impact change, investing in our teachers as business leaders must be a priority. Here are four ways you can promote and professionalize teachers through your business practices:
1. Seek out diverse and unconventional backgrounds.
By building a diverse teacher pipeline that is more representative of our students, and our workforce, the data shows that we can improve outcomes. This type of investment can have a ripple effect and a positive impact for generations to come. And as teachers’ roles are being reinvented, there’s no longer one single path into the profession. These teachers and their unique backgrounds and perspectives have so much to contribute to improve education and learning outcomes for more students.
Some teachers have held various professions that offer new and diverse perspectives and insights that can shape their teaching practice and be shared with their students. Teachers from alternative pathways can have a unique understanding of their students’ backgrounds and the world that they will enter after school. As we look more at these individuals from nontraditional pathways, we need to completely overhaul how we support these educators to best meet all learners.
We need a mindset shift when it comes to how we recruit and hire talent—both in the education and business sectors. Education administrators and business leaders alike should understand and recognize the value that comes with diverse experiences, and this value-add should be conveyed to hiring managers across the board and supported by executive leadership.
2. Partner with an educational institution to provide industry-aligned professional development opportunities.
Corporations often partner with educational institutions to develop and implement training programs that are tailored to the needs of specific industries to offer work-based learning courses and curricula. Expanding these partnerships to ensure that teachers and prospective candidates have professional development opportunities that are industry-aligned will help expand their understanding of the various workforce opportunities that are available to their students.
Many districts have existing “college and career pathways” programs that support students throughout their educational experience to develop the necessary college and career-ready knowledge and skills needed after graduating high school to achieve economic mobility. Business leaders can work with their local school districts, chambers of commerce and grassroots community-based organizations to develop these pathways programs in a way that not only serves students but also the teachers and aspiring candidates in order to meet the demands of a rapidly changing and increasingly hyper-local and global workforce.
3. Influence policy.
When it comes to advancing and advocating for policy changes, businesses have an important role to play. From climate policies to trading, businesses are incredibly influential, holding the keys to our country’s economic success. The education sector cannot be overlooked.
Business leaders can also advocate for the policies and programs that support teachers and students, both in and outside the classroom. For example, the American Teacher Act is a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives and proposes to pay teachers at least $60,000. With this type of policy, not only could students be better positioned to learn more and develop their skills to be the next generation of American workers, but educators could be more engaged in our economy—and might even be able to afford to live where they work.
4. Support teachers in your community.
It is well known and researched that teachers are overworked, overstimulated and undervalued for the many jobs that they do that extend far beyond educating students. Business leaders can support teachers and uplift the education industry in various ways.
Speak up for and speak out in support of local school board members who are showing bravery and leadership in the face of extremely challenging political and social school environments. As business leaders, we need to build coalitions with education and be advocates for what we value.
All types of businesses at every stage and size can support educators, for we are entrusting them with the hearts and minds of our next generation. We must provide responsible leadership to help integrate new technologies into education pathways and champion public policies that support teachers. We must keep an eye on equity to understand if and how these technologies exacerbate the learning gap. These actions can positively impact economic development, communities at large and most importantly our children and grandchildren—our future leaders.
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