Teacher burnout persists, but solutions are emerging

Key points:

The American Federation of Teachers partnered with Educators Thriving for a year-long study that culminated in a new report, “Beyond exhaustion” detailing practical, research-based solutions to improve the chronic levels of stress and burnout that plague teachers and support staff in K-12 schools and contribute to widespread teacher shortages.

The report highlights the numerous challenges educators face and proposes a number of strategies and solutions to address them, including several factors that reliably predict educator well-being: responsive leadership and supportive culture, acceptance, adaptability, personal well-being, and professionalism. . growth orientation. The report includes a survey tool—generated by educators—that more accurately defines and measures educator well-being.

At the center of these solutions is a call for connection, collaboration, and commitment from leaders to support the well-being of educators so that they, in turn, can support their students.

“Teaching has never been an easy job, but today it is more difficult than ever, and this profession needs support and respect if we have any chance of recruiting and retaining good people to meet the needs of children,” said the president of the AFT, Randi Weingarten. “Burnout is real: This report contains basic strategies for addressing burnout and, in doing so, helps deter teachers and school staff from leaving the profession and the students they love.”

The report explains that to better support and retain educators, school systems must implement immediate relief along with system-wide changes. Specific strategies and solutions for teacher burnout include:

• Develop increasingly responsive school leadership
• Cultivate a culture of support for school staff
• Offer professional development related to cultivating and maintaining personal well-being.

The AFT and Educators Thriving engaged more than 220 educators as they learned, practiced, and applied empirically proven strategies to increase personal well-being. Ninety-two percent of participants agreed that the program made their work seem more sustainable and 94 percent agreed that it helped improve their well-being. Participants also reported statistically significant reductions in emotional exhaustion, an important indicator of burnout.

As Leslie Blatteau, president of the New Haven Federation of Teachers, shared, “It’s hard to put yourself first. “We really need direct instruction as educators to be reminded how to take care of ourselves so we can take care of our students and be willing to come back next year.”

“Educators play a crucial role in the lives of our next generation. “When educators are well supported, they provide even better learning experiences for their students,” Weingarten added. “But they face stress every day, whether helping students who show signs of distress, dealing with paperwork and administrative tasks non-stop, or facing the ongoing culture wars that are injecting politics into their classrooms, which can do make it impossible to do your job. .

“It does not have to be this way. By prioritizing the well-being and collaboration of educators, as we have seen in places like the ABC Unified School District in California and White Bear Lake Area Schools in Minnesota, schools can create an environment that fosters growth, resilience and , ultimately, better teaching and learning conditions for all.

The report is a key element in the AFT’s $5 million annual effort. Real solutions for children and communities campaign, which aims to secure the supports educators need to address learning loss, loneliness and literacy challenges. As the report explains: “Because there is an inextricable link between staffing, educator well-being, and student learning, it is imperative to improve teacher well-being and prevent burnout.”

Tyler Hester, founder of Educators Thriving, said: “We can (and must) change the way we support educators. Until now, there has been a strong consensus about what “burnout” means, but there is no unified definition of educator “well-being.” With a newly defined North Star articulated by AFT members across the country, the conversation can move beyond burnout and toward clear, actionable strategies for measuring and improving well-being. We can complement professional development with personal development. And we can equip systems with the data they need to ensure every educator reaches the peak of their potential.”

This press release originally appeared online.

Laura Ascione is the editorial director of eSchool Media. She graduated from the prestigious Philip Merrill School of Journalism at the University of Maryland.

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