Career preparation for K-12 educators
Teachers, your next move starts here.
NextGround is a cohort program for educators ready for their next role, where people who have held the job teach you the work, you practice the hard parts with feedback, and you leave with proof you can show in an interview.
- Grow in schools
- Work alongside schools
- Go beyond education
Starting with two cohorts: First-Time Instructional Leader and Instructional Design, planned for January 2027. More paths added as interest grows.
Learn the role from someone who has held it.
Practice the hard moments before they count.
Prepare with a cohort headed the same way.
Leave with proof you can show in an interview.
Not a certification, a job board, or a course library. Preparation for the role you want next.
- Unit and lesson planningProject planning
- Leading PLCsFacilitating adult learning
- Parent conferencesStakeholder communication
- Data daysReporting and analysis
Your experience already counts. NextGround helps you prove it in their language.
Three directions.
Teaching experience travels farther than most people think. The roles below are a sample, not the full menu.
Track 01
Within education
Grow your leadership without leaving schools.
Sample roles
- Instructional coach
- Department or team lead
- Specialist
- Assistant principal
- And more
Building now: First-Time Instructional Leader
Track 02
Education-adjacent
Keep your expertise. Change your work environment.
Sample roles
- Curriculum writer
- Edtech customer success
- PD facilitator
- Implementation specialist
- And more
Track 03
Beyond education
Take your skills into roles that value facilitation and execution.
Sample roles
- Project manager
- Learning and development
- Corporate trainer
- Operations
- Instructional designer
- And more
Up next: Instructional Design
Two paths are being built now.
First-Time Instructional Leader
For teachers stepping into coaching, specialist, team lead, and other first-time instructional leadership roles.
Led by Devin Lewis and Renicka Bearden
Planned for January 2027
See this pathInstructional Design
For educators moving into instructional design.
Led by Holly Owens
Planned for January 2027 alongside First-Time Instructional Leader.
See this pathWant a different destination? Tell us on the waitlist. New cohorts open as interest grows, and waitlist answers decide which come next.
The posting goes up in spring. The preparation starts now.
If you start getting ready when the job appears, you are competing with people who practiced all year.
3 in 4
nearly, in our early educator research
The opportunity was there. They did not feel ready.
Nearly 3 in 4 educators said they had decided not to apply for a role or opportunity because they did not feel prepared.
Nearly 9 in 10
took on new responsibilities to prepare for a future role.
More than 4 in 5
rated practicing future-role skills as highly valuable.
Source: NextGround Educator Career Growth & Mobility Survey. Early directional research, not a nationally representative sample.
A résumé tells them. Proof shows them.
Sample evidence from each direction. Finished work you can bring to the interview.
Coaching debrief
Navigating pushback from a colleague
- Scenario: a teacher agrees, then does not try the next step
- Your move: ask what happened before advising
- Feedback: strong curiosity, sharpen the next step
Onboarding plan
First 30 days for a new partner school
- Kickoff agenda for school leaders
- Training plan for 40 teachers
- Check-in points and success measures
Project charter
Schoolwide rollout, rewritten as a project
- Scope, timeline, and owners
- Risk tracker with three mitigations
- Status update for stakeholders
Learn from people who have held the job.
Devin LewisFounder, former Director of Teacher Evaluation
Renicka BeardenDirector of Secondary Program Success
Holly OwensInstructional Design“I kept getting ready for work I had not been hired to do yet.”Read Devin's story
Time
At least 2 hours a week
Price
Being finalized. Waitlist members hear first.
Start
First two cohorts planned for January 2027. More added as interest grows.
How a cohort runs
Each cohort is led by a practitioner who has done the work. You join live calls twice a month with guest speakers like district leaders and hiring managers, watch short videos you can finish on a busy day, connect with educators from other districts, and build a portfolio month by month. Support continues through your first 90 days in the new role.
Don't spend another hiring cycle guessing.
Pick your direction. The first two paths are planned for January 2027, and more will be added as interest grows.
Hear first
when the first path opens
Shape it
tell us what you need to prepare for
Follow along
as each new route takes shape
NextGround is still being built. Paths will open one at a time, and waitlist members will hear first.