Teacher Well-Being under After-School Service Reforms: A Comparative Study of Professional Development in China and Abroad

• In Event: Roundtable Session 14
  In Refereed Roundtable Session: Empowering Educators for System Change: Preparation, Agency, Well-Being, and Evidence-Based Reform

Proposal

According to China’s Ministry of Education, all compulsory education institutions nationwide implemented after-school service programs from the fall semester of 2021. These two-hour weekday services, held on school grounds and led primarily by schoolteachers, were introduced as part of the country’s “double reduction” education reform. Their goals were to accommodate working parents’ schedules, reduce reliance on costly private after-school programs, and provide students with opportunities to complete homework before heading home or develop new skills. While widely welcomed by families and the general public, the policy announcement also sparked significant debate. Across various social media platforms, many teachers and school staff expressed concerns about extended work hours, heightened stress, diminished work–life balance, insufficient compensation, and the overall negative impact on their well-being.
This paper examines the realities of implementing after-school services and the corresponding needs for teacher mental health support. It combines two sources of data: (1) social media discussions, which reflect general public perceptions and teacher sentiment, and (2) interviews with teachers, school administrators, and parents from two urban schools and two rural schools within the same city, which provide in-depth insights into experiences at the school level. Together, these sources highlight the strain on teachers, the critical importance of supporting their mental health, and the indirect effects of teacher well-being on student outcomes.
The paper further investigates China’s current efforts to integrate mental health components into teacher professional development (PD) sessions, while also identifying gaps and additional support needs as articulated by educators and administrators. Building on these findings, the study undertakes a comparative analysis of teacher mental health provisions in China, Finland, and other OECD countries where PD and external support systems have been linked to higher levels of teacher job satisfaction. By drawing lessons from international practice, the paper offers recommendations for strengthening teacher well-being support within the Chinese context.

Author

• Feitong Zhang, Harvard University Graduate School of Education