The burnout is real

As the school year draws to a close around the country and as the nation recognizes Mental Health Awareness Month, this month’s newsletter elevates new findings on the wellbeing of public school teachers. Much has been discussed about teacher burnout, frustration, exhaustion and mental health concerns that were intensified by the stress of the pandemic. More than 300,000 public school teachers and staff left the field between February 2020 and May 2022; several states—including Hawaii, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Washington—have experienced their highest rate of teacher turnover in years with increases of two percent or more. This exodus has the greatest impact on districts and schools serving high percentages of students of color and low-income students. 

Research demonstrates that improving teacher wellbeing can improve retention rates for teachers of color, which can directly improve student outcomes and support positive teacher-student relationships, effective classroom management and effective implementation of social and emotional learning. It’s time to address the wellbeing of our teachers systematically. Schools and districts that want to attract and retain teachers, especially teachers of color, need to build school environments where teachers feel welcomed, supported and valued. 

Thanks to funding from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Education First researched teacher retention and listened to teachers, school leaders, nonprofit leaders, researchers, and district and state policymakers to identify seven key factors of teacher wellbeing: school leadership, mental health supports, promoting equity, sense of belonging, teacher autonomy, affinity groups & mentorship, and shared decisionmaking. Policymakers, state departments of education, funders, school system leaders, building principals and other key stakeholders can address these powerful levers to increase teacher commitment and decrease burnout and attrition.

What steps should school, district and state leaders take? 

Read our research-based steps that each leader should take

Wellbeing is a collective responsibility. It requires certain school-wide conditions to be in place, such as a culture of mutual trust and respect. Our work on teacher wellbeing, retention and diversity doesn’t end with this research. In the coming months we will share additional resources on strategic staffing of schools that help improve teacher morale and effectiveness. We also invite you to join us in person as we discuss Equitable Decisionmaking to Support Wellbeing of Diverse Educators at CASEL’s Social & Emotional Learning Exchange in November.