Author(s)

Steiner, Elizabeth D. and Woo, Ashley and Suryavanshi, Aarya and Redding, Christopher

Year
2023
APA Citation

Steiner, E., Woo, A., Suryavanshi, A., & Redding, C. (2023). Working conditions related to positive teacher well-being vary across states. RAND Corporation. Retrieved from: https://www. rand. org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RRA800/RRA827-15/RAND_RRA827-15. pdf.

Topics
Educator Pipeline and Retention
Target Population
General Education
Grade Level
Elementary: K-Grade 5
Middle: Grade 6-8
High: Grade 9-12
States
California
Texas
Washington
Florida
New York
Abstract

Teacher morale declined over the course of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, highlighting the importance of the quality of the workplace conditions that teachers experience and how those conditions might influence well-being and retention. In response to widespread concerns about teacher shortages, many states are focusing on improving teachers' well-being and working conditions as strategies to boost teacher retention. In this report, the authors build on prior RAND Corporation research that relied on national samples of teachers. The report examines teacher well-being, teachers' access to a variety of working conditions, relationships between well-being and working conditions, and school-provided supports for well-being in five focal states: California, Florida, New York, Texas, and Washington state. The authors surveyed teachers about two broad categories of working conditions: organizational factors (e.g., school-level policies, programs, or structures that help or hinder the ability of the individual to perform their job), and relational factors (e.g., interpersonal relationships or the individual's relationship with the organization). The authors aim to address three research questions, which are based on the perspectives of kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) public school teachers: (1) Do teachers' reports of their well-being and access to various working conditions differ across states and from the national average?; (2) Which working conditions are related to teacher well-being across the country generally and in five focal states specifically? and (3) What policies, practices, and supports do teachers report their schools provide to support their wellbeing? [For the companion report, see ED628572.]