Official Site of The State of New Jersey

In November 2022, Governor Murphy’s Executive Order #309 established the Task Force on Public School Staff Shortages in New Jersey to develop recommendations addressing teacher shortages across the state. One of the key recommendations from the Task Force was to improve school climate and culture by investigating strategies aimed at reducing the administrative burdens which pull teachers away from classroom instruction.

The 2024 Teacher Climate and Culture Innovation NGO awarded local education agencies (LEAs) to actualize this recommendation through the development of policies, programming, guidance and/or equivalencies (PPGEs) aimed at reclaiming teacher time through the reduction of administrative paperwork and other tasks that take time away from classroom instruction. The ultimate intention of the grant program was that the PPGEs developed would be shared and replicated statewide.

The 2025 Teacher Climate and Culture Institute is designed to support both the Governor’s Task Force recommendations and the accompanying NGO by providing a platform for educators to collaborate statewide, sharing successful processes, strategies and policies designed to enhance teacher climate and culture in schools.

The Teacher Climate and Culture Institute will offer attendees sessions led by educators across the state. Sessions will fall under one of the following areas:

• Reducing the Daily Administrative Burden on Educators
• Leveraging Teacher Leadership
• Increasing Teacher Efficacy and Growth
• Leveraging Artificial Intelligence