Spotlight on Creating Supportive Environments for Our Teachers
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This Spotlight highlights three resources designed to help education leaders and policymakers create supportive environments for the nation’s teachers.
Read on to learn about elevating teachers’ morale and motivation, the roots of and possible solutions to the teacher shortage crisis, and an innovative approach one elementary school uses to support its teachers.
Check out more resources in the WestEd E-Bulletin.
Boosting Teacher Morale and Motivation
A recent RAND survey (Steiner and Woo, 2021) found that nearly a quarter of teachers desire to leave teaching at the end of the school year. Based on data like this, what can school and district leaders do to leverage the motivation of staff to create a positive climate in which teachers are excited to remain in the profession and stay eager to work with students and colleagues?
This Insights & Impact post, written by WestEd’s Kevin Perks, offers ideas that can help school and district leaders to boost motivation and morale among teachers and other personnel. It briefly explores what is known about motivation and describes four practices that leaders can use to leverage the motivation that already exists among their staff. The article concludes with an example of how leaders can combine all four practices within a single approach.
Learn research-based strategies for boosting teacher morale and motivation.
Recruiting and Retaining Teachers: Q&A with Gretchen Weber
Recruiting and retaining teachers is fundamental to supporting learning recovery. In this Q&A, Gretchen Weber, Senior Managing Director at WestEd, responds to questions many communities ask about addressing the teacher shortage crisis.
Much of Gretchen’s work focuses on supporting the teaching profession through research, policy, and practice. As a Board Certified Teacher, she draws on her experiences in classrooms, schools, and districts to work on behalf of educators everywhere. She roots herself in the expertise of her colleagues who are in classrooms every day.
Read about the teacher staffing shortage crisis, its implications for students, and more.
Creating Community Partnerships to Support Teacher Wellness
Research and practice show that addressing well-being—for both young people and educators—is foundational to teaching, learning, and thriving. Van Ness Elementary attends to the well-being needs of its community—including students, educators, and parent—by engaging the support of a licensed clinical mental health professional. What’s especially unique about this approach is that every educator at school has confidential, free access to a therapist available to them during school hours.
Listen to the audiocast from Beyond SEL.
How WestEd Supports Teachers and Leaders
WestEd strengthens knowledge and policies to help teachers and administrators meet the rigorous demands of their work. By developing the effectiveness of our nation’s education leaders through research and carefully tailored programs, we ultimately contribute to improving student learning outcomes.
This work entails developing high-quality practices and programs for comprehensive teacher learning, from preservice to teacher leadership, and conducting research to build visibility and understanding of how the nation’s teachers and education leaders impact student learning.
Learn about WestEd’s research, resources, and services for teachers and leaders.
Read and Sign Up to Receive the WestEd E-Bulletin
Subscribe to and read the WestEd E-Bulletin. The latest issue offers resources on creating supportive environments for teachers.
Topics include:
- Creating Community Partnerships to Support Teacher Wellness
- Recruiting and Sustaining Teachers: A Q&A with WestEd’s Gretchen Weber
- Spending One-Time Funds to Recruit and Retain Teachers
- Tips for Boosting Teacher Morale and Motivation
- Cultivating Supportive Environments for Teachers
- Encouraging a Culture of Care and Well-Being
- Social and Emotional Well-Being for Teacher Success
- Helping Educators Develop Self-Care Skills
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