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Job-Related Stress Threatens America's Supply of Teachers

Teaching has always been a stressful occupation, but the pandemic brought new challenges. In January and February, we surveyed U.S. public school teachers to better understand their job-related stress and overall well-being in the COVID-19 era.

Here's a recap of what we learned:

• Nearly one in four teachers said that they were likely to leave their job by the end of the 2020-21 school year. That's compared with one in six who were likely to leave prior to the pandemic.
• Black or African American teachers were especially likely to plan to leave the profession.
• A much higher proportion of teachers reported frequent job-related stress and symptoms of depression than the general adult population.
• One in three teachers were responsible for caring for their own children while teaching.

Given that some pandemic-related stressors, such as remote teaching, might be here to stay, RAND researchers recommend that district and school leaders try to better understand teachers' working conditions and the need for a more supportive and flexible work environment. Additionally, schools could consider implementing COVID-19 mitigation measures in a way that allows teachers to focus on instruction and offset worries about their health.