Balancing Teacher Well-Being to Accelerate Learning Gains, Part 3

Building and sustaining educator resilience

In the last part of this blog series, we focused on the need for districts to ensure support for digital learning environments while balancing teacher social and emotional learning (SEL). In this part of this blog series, we will explore what it means to build and sustain a support system for educators that promotes resilience.

The latest research on educator attitudes after the pandemic demonstrates that educators need more support now than ever. Educators are wrestling with the need to close learning gaps and feeling an unprecedented surge in teacher burnout.  

Among other teacher retention strategies, it is apparent that teacher well-being (especially their social and emotional wellness) needs to be at the top of the list for districts. Districts are getting creative in trying to help by offering mental health sessions, yoga, and other well-being opportunities for educators to fight mental fatigue and burnout.  

What is educator resilience?

From a social-ecological perspective, educator resilience is how educators harness personal and institutional resources to navigate professional challenges. Educator resilience protects and promotes the well-being of individual teachers while mitigating the risk factors that make coping with disruption more difficult.  

Resilient educators are equipped with tools and resources to help themselves and their students during challenging times. Three environmental factors that influence educator resilience most are support from administration, workload, and school culture.  

Here are four ways in which districts can build a sustainable practice of support to ensure educator resilience: 

1. Prioritize Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) for Educators 
2. Equip Educators with the Tools and Resources for Success 
3. Implement Continuous Improvement Cycles 
4. Promote a Culture of Resilience 

Prioritize Social and Emotional Learning for Educators

Social and emotional skills positively impact educators’ personal and professional success, which leads to improved academic outcomes and classroom behavior. Human resources professionals in K-12 can ensure SEL training is a priority, not solely for onboarding new educators. Instead, ongoing SEL would be part of the district’s professional development offerings.  

The CASEL framework defines five core competencies of SEL:  

• Self-awareness  
• Self-management  
• Social awareness  
• Responsible decision-making  
• Relationship skills  

PowerSchool’s Professional Learning Premium Library includes modules from the CASEL framework for educators and is part of the PowerSchool’s talent suite of resources.  

Equip Educators with the Tools and Resources for Success

While ongoing professional development is important for educators, districts have the opportunity to ensure that educators have the right tools and resources to be successful. Today’s educators require an ever-changing set of skills to address not only student needs and outcomes but also their own personal growth and well-being.  

Beyond the obvious tools (technology, standards, curriculum, etc.), districts should ensure that teachers have the following: 

• Ongoing professional learning communities (PLCs) to connect, share, and grow 
• Effective coaching and mentoring support 
• Access to robust data analytics and systems 
• A supportive school culture that allows for flexibility, growth, creativity, and community

Implement Continuous Improvement Cycles

Although we have discussed the need for continuous improvement cycles in a recent blog, it is a cornerstone strategy for ensuring that districts understand and address educators’ needs. The Education Development Center states that an effective continuous improvement model should: 

• Build the skills, knowledge, and perspectives of individuals to self-reflect, dialogue, and act based on data and knowledge. This strengthens the capacity of all participants to establish a learning environment and work together to solve problems.  
• Support an organization’s efforts to become stronger and more effective and enhance its ability to bridge research and theory with policy and practice.  
• Be designed to address real issues and problems, providing staff and stakeholders with strategies to build on strengths and opportunities.  
• Invite multiple perspectives and involve a representation of people who care about and benefit from the program.  
• Be flexible and adaptable. Strategies, initiatives, and programs don’t exist in a vacuum, and events such as staff turnover can influence their implementation and outcomes.  
• Be responsive to the local context. Data collected can capture the day-to-day reality and outcomes of those affected by the innovation. 

Promote a Culture of Resilience to Increase Teacher Retention

Studies have shown that organizations can achieve positive change by supporting shifts in culture that include attitudes, beliefs, knowledge, and norms.^{1, 2} In addition, the pandemic underscored the need to create more resilient workplaces that allow educators to be better prepared and survive adverse situations. When districts build a culture of resilience, the organization and its people share the ability to recover and thrive amid challenging circumstances. 

How can districts promote a culture of resilience? 

1. Ensure the mission and vision of the district are the guideposts.
   The most effective educators make the right decisions at the right times. To do so, they rely on clear goals and values. With clear goals and values, educators can quickly respond to adverse situations or ‘curveballs’ that come their way. Districts that clearly communicate their mission and vision help educators feel more connected and supported.
2. Evaluate strengths and weaknesses and adjust accordingly.
   This is why continuous improvement cycles are so important. Districts that evaluate what is working and what isn’t and allow for consistent feedback from educators have better data and the ability to respond to crises. Knowing what to work on in supporting educators creates a stronger, more adaptable workplace. Giving ‘voice’ to educators helps district leaders understand the skill sets and support structures that need to be implemented or adjusted.
3. Build out strong support networks for educators.
   Keeping support networks strong, especially during challenging times, is non-negotiable. Support can come in many facets–communication, keeping relationships strong, providing physical and mental wellness opportunities, and enhancing coaching/mentoring opportunities. Educators need to feel certain that they are well connected and well supported–especially during adverse conditions.

Despite the adverse effects of the pandemic, educators can leverage the lessons learned as a catalyst for change and prepare for future events by ensuring that resilience is baked into the fabric of the organization. Further, a resilient K–12 school system can also learn and evolve to anticipate and proactively mitigate future disruptions.

Resources

1. Felner, R. D. (2005). The Center for Research-Based Educational Improvement and Assessment: Support and continuous improvement of No Child Left Behind in Kentucky.
2. Fixsen, D. L., Naoom, S. F., Blase, K. A., Friedman, R. M., & Wallace, F. (2005). Implementation research: A synthesis of the literature. Tampa, FL: University of South Florida, Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, The National Implementation Research Network.