Teaching is one of the most stressful occupations in the country, but introducing organizational and individual interventions can help minimize the negative effects of teacher stress.
The Issue
This research brief examines causes of teacher stress, its effects on teachers, schools, and students, and strategies for reducing its impact.
Key Findings
Forty-six percent of teachers report high daily stress, which compromises their health, sleep, quality of life, and teaching performance.
When teachers are highly stressed, students show lower levels of both social adjustment and academic performance.
Interventions on the organizational or individual level, or those that reach both, can help reduce teacher stress by changing the culture and approach to teaching.
Programs for mentoring, workplace wellness, social emotional learning, and mindfulness are all proven to improve teacher well-being and student outcomes.
Conclusion
The escalating teacher crisis is affecting students’ educational outcomes, impacting teachers’ health, and costing U.S. schools billions of dollars each year. The authors suggest improving school organization, job demands, support and autonomy, and personal emotional resources for teachers.
[For more of this story, written by Greenberg M, Brown J, and Abenavoli R, go to http://www.rwjf.org/en/library...ress-and-health.html]
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