Educator Well-Being

Featured

  • Black woman teacher in a classroom, photo by NappyStock/Pexels

    Commentary

    Keeping Teachers of Color in the Classroom Will Take More Than a Pay Raise

    All students—but particularly Black and Latinx students—benefit academically and socially from having teachers who are people of color. Policymakers and education leaders can help these teachers stay in the profession by making teaching more financially sustainable and fostering collegial relationships within school communities.

    Dec 1, 2022

  • Andrew Briscoe Elementary School's principal greets and distributes hand sanitizer to students while a teacher takes their temperature before they enter the building, in San Antonio, Texas, January 11, 2022, photo by Kaylee Greenlee Beal/Reuters

    Report

    Educators' Views on Politicized Topics in School

    A survey in January 2022 asked educators about policies for COVID-19 safety in schools and classroom conversations about race, racism, or bias. Almost half of principals and 40 percent of teachers reported that the intrusion of political issues and opinions added stress to their jobs.

    Aug 10, 2022

Explore Educator Well-Being

  • A tired or stressed teacher at his desk, photo by shironosov/Getty Images

    Report

    American Teacher Well-Being and Intentions to Leave

    Teachers reported better well-being in January 2023 than in 2021 and 2022, and rates of job-related stress have returned to pre-pandemic levels. But teachers continue to report worse well-being than other working adults. Twenty-three percent said that they were likely to leave their jobs.

    Jun 21, 2023

  • Report

    Report

    State of the American Teacher Survey: 2023 Technical Documentation and Survey Results

    This technical report presents detail about the data, samples, and methodology for the 2023 State of the American Teacher survey and American Life Panel companion survey, including survey results.

    Jun 21, 2023

  • RAND Weekly Recap

    Blog

    Extremist Beliefs Among Veterans, Space Traffic, Teacher Well-Being: RAND Weekly Recap

    This weekly recap focuses on whether extremist beliefs are more prevalent among veterans, why it's time to manage traffic in outer space, crises facing the Russian military, and more.

    Jun 9, 2023

  • An elementary school teacher helping a student on a tablet, photo by LumiNola/Getty Images

    Report

    Which Working Conditions Could Restore Teacher Well-Being?

    Teachers' self-reported well-being and access to a variety of working conditions varied across five states. Relational factors—positive relationships with other teachers and administrators—were more strongly linked to well-being than organizational factors. And a schoolwide focus on social and emotional learning was linked to positive well-being.

    Jun 1, 2023

  • Report

    Report

    Teachers' Perceptions of Coherence in K–12 English Language Arts and Mathematics Instructional Systems

    RAND researchers interviewed a sample of members of the American Teacher Panel who responded to the spring 2022 Coherent Instructional Systems Survey to examine how teachers perceive and navigate coherence within their instructional systems.

    Apr 25, 2023

  • A teacher using a tablet computer in an elementary school lesson, photo by Getty Images

    Q&A

    Amplifying Teachers' Voices: Q&A with Ashley Woo

    Ashley Woo, an assistant policy researcher at RAND and a Ph.D. candidate at the Pardee RAND Graduate School, aims to bring teachers' perspectives into policymaking. In this interview, she discusses her research on teachers' responses to state restrictions on how they can address topics related to race and gender in the classroom.

    Mar 16, 2023

  • A Ukrainian service member prepares an anti-tank guided missile weapon system on a frontline near Soledar in Donetsk region, Ukraine, January 14, 2023, photo by Serhii Nuzhnenko/Reuters

    Commentary

    A Tale of Two Wars and the Pitfalls of Success

    Russia's war in Ukraine once again poses questions about how the United States prepares for conflict—not only which weapons it buys, but also how it envisions great-power wars in the 21st century. If the United States does learn the lessons of this war, then it may secure the U.S. military's edge for decades to come.

    Feb 2, 2023

  • A student reads The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss during a peaceful demonstration at the Olentangy Schools Administration Building after a teacher who was reading Dr. Seuss on an NPR podcast was stopped by an administrator because questions about race came up, in Columbus, Ohio, January 16, 2023, photo by Barbara J. Perenic/USA Today via Reuters

    Report

    What Teachers Think of State Policies Limiting Their Instruction

    The restrictions placed on how teachers can address race- or gender-related topics in the classroom may be leading to consequences for teachers' working conditions and for student learning. Teachers report that the limitations make it more difficult to engage students in learning, to support critical thinking skills, and to build empathy.

    Jan 24, 2023

  • Report

    Report

    Learn Together Surveys: 2022 Technical Documentation and Survey Results

    This report provides information about the sample, survey instrument, and resultant data for the 2022 Learn Together Surveys that were administered to K-12 principals and teachers in March 2022 via the RAND Corporation's American Educator Panels.

    Nov 3, 2022

  • And early care and education program, photo courtesy of Hawai'i Public Radio

    Report

    Early Childhood Educators in Hawai'i

    A diverse, well-supported, and well-compensated workforce is essential for the delivery of high-quality early care and education (ECE) programs. What does the employment landscape look like for the ECE workforce in Hawai'i and what policy strategies can improve their compensation and working conditions?

    Oct 25, 2022

  • A high school teacher helping students use tablets, photo by Getty Images

    Report

    Strategies to Diversify the K–12 Teacher Workforce

    All students—especially those of color—benefit academically and socially from having teachers who are people of color. Ways to recruit and retain more diverse teachers include lowering the cost of becoming a teacher, increasing the diversity of the applicant pool, and building positive collegial relationships and inclusive school environments.

    Sep 19, 2022

  • A teacher helping elementary students at their desks, wearing face masks and separated by acrylic partitions during the COVID-19 pandemic, photo by kali9/Getty Images

    Essay

    How Educators Are Faring in the COVID Era

    Teachers and principals are twice as likely as other workers to experience frequent job-related stress. They report higher rates of depression and burnout, and much lower rates of resilience. What can school districts do to better support them?

    Aug 25, 2022

  • Four educators in a school office, one holding her head and looking stressed, the other listening to her, photo by DGLimages/Getty Images

    Commentary

    Will Teachers Quit? What Surveys Can and Can't Tell Us

    There is no single source for reliable current data about teacher and principal turnover or job openings, so it's understandable that journalists rely on survey data to monitor the health of the teacher and principal workforce. But media coverage that focuses only on the connection, or lack thereof, between teachers' intentions to leave and actual turnover stands the risk of minimizing the clearly stated dissatisfaction that educators are expressing.

    Aug 11, 2022

  • Stressed-looking male teacher leaning against a desk with one hand on his forehead, photo by SolStock/Getty Images

    Commentary

    Educators' Poor Morale Matters, Even If They Don't Quit. Here's Why

    State and district education leaders can take steps now to reduce teacher and principal stress this fall in two ways: Recognize that job-related stress is systemic and that educators closer to the classroom may experience more of it, and talk with teachers and principals about the sources of stress in their job, and what could alleviate them.

    Aug 11, 2022

  • Students making their way through a hallway at Ridgeview STEM Junior High in Pickerington, Ohio, December 21, 2021, photo by Shane Flanigan/USA Today via Reuters

    Report

    School Districts Still Struggled in Year Three of the Pandemic

    Ninety percent of school districts changed operations in 2021–2022 because of teacher shortages. They increased substitute teacher pay and their number of staff above prepandemic levels. They also struggled with political polarization around critical race theory, student and staff mental health, and student learning loss.

    Jul 18, 2022

  • Southeastern Regional Superintendent Luis Lopes enters a special school committee meeting for superintendent candidates on April 5, 2022, photo by Marc Vasconcellos/USA Today via Reuters

    Report

    Superintendents Have High Job Satisfaction and Normal Turnover Rates

    Although 95 percent of superintendents agreed that their job has gotten harder over the past decade, 85 percent of them were satisfied with their job as of spring 2022. The rate of those planning to leave their positions is on par with prepandemic levels.

    Jul 11, 2022

  • News Release

    News Release

    Teacher and Principal Stress Running at Twice the Rate of General Working Public, Hindering Pandemic Recovery

    U.S. teachers and principals are experiencing frequent job-related stress at a rate about twice that of the general population of working adults. Well-being is reported as especially poor among Hispanic/Latinx teachers, mid-career teachers, and female teachers and principals.

    Jun 15, 2022

  • Two teachers walking and talking in a school corridor, photo by SolStock/Getty Images

    Report

    Rates of Stress Among Teachers and Principals Are Running High

    U.S. teachers and principals are experiencing frequent job-related stress at a rate that is about twice that of the general population of working adults. Well-being is reported as especially poor among Hispanic/Latinx teachers, mid-career teachers, and female teachers and principals.

    Jun 14, 2022

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