Mountain View High School: Broadening the Definition of Educator

On most mornings at Mountain View High School (Mountain View), a low fog settles over the surrounding desert landscape as students begin to arrive on campus. The first sound visitors often notice is not the ringing of a bell or the hum of traffic, but the long, echoing call of a train whistle. The sound does not come from nearby tracks. Instead, it is produced by a student who walks the expansive campus with a generator-powered, portable whistle he designed and built himself in auto shop class. Exploring sound—how it travels, reverberates, and changes across space—is part of his individualized learning plan. Each morning, the whistle rings out across the school’s more than 60 acres, audible to nearly 3,500 students and hundreds of adults.

No one flinches. No one complains. The sound has become part of the rhythm of the school.

At Mountain View, moments like this are not viewed as disruptions to learning, but as evidence of it. They reflect a deeply held belief that education should be responsive to students’ identities, interests, and needs—and that supporting those needs requires far more than a single teacher standing at the front of a classroom. Instead, Mountain View has intentionally broadened the definition of who counts as an educator, embracing a model in which learning is supported by teams of teachers, staff, coaches, families, and community members working together, or what Principal Dr. Mike Oliver calls, “school people.”*

Mountain View High School, part of Mesa Public Schools in Arizona, is a large, comprehensive high school serving a multi-generational community where many students are third or fourth generation Mountain View students. Over the past several years, school and district leaders recognized that despite deep community ties to Mountain View, a significant redesign of both its organizational structures and instructional approach was necessary to meet the needs of all students. Central to this redesign are two interrelated strategies: a team-based model for ninth graders known as Freshman Academic Success Teams (FASTeams), and College and Career Academies for upper grades that connect academic learning to students’ interests and real-world pathways. Together, these structures create space for community members, informal educators, and caring adults to play active roles in students’ learning journeys.

This case study builds off the findings of Forge Futures, a national summit on the future of learning hosted in spring 2024 by Remake Learning and AASA, and illustrates one of its core features: Broadening the Definition of Educator. Forge Futures calls on learning systems to move beyond narrow, teacher-centric models toward learning ecosystems where mentors, coaches, paraeducators, community partners, and other adults contribute meaningfully. Mountain View offers a concrete example of what this feature can look like in practice—why the shift was necessary, how it is being implemented, what early outcomes are emerging, and what other schools might learn from its experience.

*Author Roland Barth uses the term “school people” to describe all adults working in a school community, emphasizing that school culture and improvement are shaped collectively, not by teachers or administrators alone (Barth, 1991).

Why a Traditional Model Was No Longer Enough

Mountain View’s transformation was driven by a recognition that traditional high school structures were no longer serving students as well as they could—particularly in a school of its size. With thousands of students moving through rigid schedules and isolated classrooms, many young people felt anonymous. Adults struggled to personalize learning, intervene early, or connect academic content to students’ lives beyond school.

School leaders and educators also recognized that a traditional, teacher-centric model —especially in a large comprehensive high school—limited the school’s ability to respond to students’ diverse strengths, interests, and aspirations. Even highly skilled teachers could not, on their own, provide the range of expertise, mentorship, and real-world relevance students needed. This realization closely mirrors challenges identified in the broader field: a disconnect between what students are asked to learn in school and what they need to thrive as humans, workers, and community members.

A Vision for Broadening the Definition of Educator
In response, Mountain View articulated a vision centered on relationships, relevance, and shared responsibility. Rather than asking how individual teachers could do more, leaders asked a different question: How might students be supported by a network of adults working together?

Through a partnership with Arizona State University’s Next Education Workforce, Mountain View utilized the strategic school staffing models to shape their vision in ninth grade for Freshman Academic Success Teams (FASTeams). Small cohorts of approximately 90–120 students are supported by an interdisciplinary team of core content teachers and a dedicated seminar teacher. These educators share responsibility for students’ academic progress, social-emotional development, and belonging—creating a “small school within a school” inside a very large campus.

For tenth grade, the vision expands through College and Career Academies. Students opt into one of five academies aligned with areas of interest: Leadership & Public Service, Arts, Music and Production, Creative Design and Engineering, Science and Medical Professions, or Marketing and Management. Teachers collaborate across disciplines to design learning experiences connected to these themes, while community members and industry partners serve as guest speakers, mentors, coaches, and hosts for job shadows and internships.

Looking ahead, Mountain View plans to extend this model through junior and senior years, with increasing emphasis on internships, work-based learning, and sustained community partnerships. Across all grades, the school emphasizes learner agency and inquiry-based approaches, aligning strongly with a vision for education that supports human flourishing and connects learning to life beyond school.

How Broadening the Definition of Educator Shows Up Day-to-Day

Educator Teams and Academies
At the heart of Mountain View’s model is intentional teaming. In FASTeams, students spend much of their day with the same group of peers and teachers. Core subject teachers collaborate closely, designing interdisciplinary projects that blend content rather than teaching in isolation. A freshman seminar teacher serves as both coordinator and advocate, helping students build organizational skills, explore interests, develop professional habits, and navigate the transition to high school.

Teachers describe how this structure fundamentally changes their work. Rather than tracking students alone, teams meet regularly to share observations, coordinate supports, and respond early. If a student is struggling academically or socially, multiple adults notice quickly—and respond together.

Throughout ninth grade, FASTteams and the Career Technical Education (CTE) Career Coach collaborate to provide students with the opportunity to explore college and career pathways through connected learning opportunities with industry partners, such as through the College and Career Exploration Fair.

These experiences help guide students’ applications to sophomore College and Career Academies. Here, teaming continues, but with a sharper focus on relevance and application. Academy core teachers partner with content-area teachers to align curriculum with students’ interests. A chemistry lesson might be framed through biomedical applications for students in the health sciences academy, while English coursework might explore storytelling, branding, or ethics through a marketing or media lens.

Importantly, Mountain View has taken a phased approach. Academies currently anchor the sophomore year, with deliberate expansion planned to include job shadowing in junior year and internships with industry partners senior year. This gradual scaling allows the school to learn, adapt, and strengthen systems rather than rushing implementation.

The Role of Informal Educators and Caring Adults

At Mountain View, this broader definition shows up most clearly through the school people students encounter beyond their classrooms. Community members regularly enter classrooms as guest speakers, panelists, and mentors. Parents and local professionals contribute expertise drawn from lived experience, often co-planning lessons with teachers or providing feedback on student work.

To coordinate these efforts, Mountain View is developing Toro Community Connect, a parent-initiated initiative that gathers information about community members willing to support learning. The goal is to create a living database of “adjunct faculty”—adults who can mentor students, host workplace visits, or contribute to classroom learning in ways that align with academy themes.

The school is also intentional about elevating the roles of all school people, including front office staff, classroom aides, coaches, and other non-instructional adults, empowering them to build relationships and respond to student needs rather than limiting them to narrowly defined job functions. Students frequently describe these adults as trusted supports who notice when they are struggling, connect them to resources, and help them feel safe and known.

Pedagogical and Organizational Strategies

Teaming at Mountain View is supported by deliberate organizational choices. Teachers are given structured time to plan together, resolve challenges, and refine interdisciplinary projects, with an explicit emphasis on shared responsibility for student success. The freshman seminar role is protected and valued, rather than treated as an add-on.

Instructionally, the school emphasizes inquiry-based, project-centered learning. Students regularly engage in interdisciplinary performance tasks that require collaboration, critical thinking, and application of knowledge. Career and Technical Student Organizations, such as DECA, offer additional opportunities for students to demonstrate learning through real-world simulations and competitions, often coached by community volunteers.

Beyond academics, Mountain View leverages a wide range of school- and community-based assets—service learning projects, clubs, therapy dog programs, and student-led initiatives—to support students’ social and emotional development. These experiences further expand who students see as educators and reinforce the idea that learning is not confined to classrooms.

What Happens When Students Are Surrounded by a Network of Educators

A School That Feels Smaller, Safer, and More Connected
Across interviews, students consistently describe Mountain View as a place where they feel known. FASTeams reduce anonymity, helping students build relationships with multiple adults early in high school. Even in later grades, students often maintain connections with teachers and staff who supported them as freshmen, returning to check in or seek advice.

Strong Uptake of Freshman Seminar and Academies
The popularity of FASTeams has directly influenced the expansion of academies. Students expressed a desire to continue feeling part of a cohesive learning community beyond ninth grade, prompting leaders to rethink the entire high school experience.

Freshman seminar has become a critical foundation, helping students build skills such as organization, communication, and professional email writing while exploring identities and interests. Regular interactions with community experts often spark “aha” moments, as students see tangible connections between school and future possibilities.

Deepening Community Partnerships
Community partnerships at Mountain View are not symbolic—they shape learning in concrete ways. Parents and professionals serve as adjunct faculty, offering insights into business, healthcare, engineering, storytelling, and public service. Job shadows and early internship placements help students clarify interests and make informed decisions about next steps.

Renewed Trust and Enthusiasm
Families who were initially skeptical of the changes increasingly express trust in the model, citing visible increases in their children’s engagement, confidence, and joy. Educators report feeling more trusted and empowered as well, describing a shift from isolated work to shared ownership of student success.

Lessons for the Field

What’s Working
Broadening the definition of educator has strengthened relationships and coherence across the school. Teaming creates a small-school feel that supports early intervention and ensures students are not overlooked. Authentic, community-connected learning has increased relevance and engagement, helping students understand why their learning matters.

Areas for Continued Iteration
The model also presents challenges. Teaming and academies require careful coordination and are sensitive to staffing changes. Not all educators embrace the approach immediately, underscoring the need for clear communication, professional learning, and space for early adopters to lead. Community participation must be scaffolded to ensure equitable access for partners with limited availability.

Recommendations for Other Schools
Schools interested in similar work should consider starting small, building structured extended educator networks, protecting collaboration time, supporting educators through clear guidance and learning opportunities, prioritizing equity in community integration, and developing mechanisms to track both cultural and academic outcomes.

In large, comprehensive high schools, this approach may be especially feasible given the student numbers needed to form stable educator teams and offer multiple career-focused academies. However, the core teaming principles—shared responsibility for students, distributed expertise, and coordinated adult support—are not dependent on size alone. Schools of different sizes can adapt these strategies by rethinking staffing models, roles, and schedules, and by leveraging external partners.

From Vision to Practice: A Living Example of Futures to Forge

Mountain View High School demonstrates a meaningful shift from a traditional, single-teacher model toward a community-embedded, team-based ecosystem of support. By broadening the definition of educator, the school has created conditions where students are known, learning is relevant, and education feels connected to life beyond school.

In doing so, Mountain View offers a powerful illustration of the Forge Futures vision: human-centered learning ecosystems rooted in relationships, community assets, and real-world relevance. For schools seeking to reimagine what education can be, Mountain View provides not a blueprint to copy, but a compelling example of what becomes possible when learning is understood as a shared endeavor.