Geographic Landscape of Educator Well-being

• In Event: Competing Stressors: Examining Ways to Support K-12 Educators' Coping and Well-Being

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an instantaneous systematic overhaul of the K-16 education system. Overnight education switched from in-person to online and students and educators alike lacked any training, guidance, or clear communication on how and what the new system would look like (Fontenelle-Tereshchuk, 2020). In this new system, educators and students faced higher rates of isolation and both experienced stresses managing and adapting to the changes (Perchick, 2021). Across states, different policies were enacted to guide the transition (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 2020). Moreover, states varied in response to re-opening and implemented different policies addressing how many students could be in the building, who learned on-line, and mask mandates (Randi & Gould, 2024). During this time, educators and students reported significantly higher rates of stress and lower rates of well-being (Diliberti et al., 2021). Even before the pandemic, teachers report significantly higher rates of stress than similarly educated peers and cite stress as the main reason they leave the field (Rafa & Francies, 2021). However, there lacks an understanding of ways stress, coping, and well-being varied across states/regions of the United States for educators.

This study seeks to address the relationship between teacher training on wellness, the existence of educator wellness policies, and the rates of stress, style of coping, and overall well-being of teachers across US states/regions. Through application of a multi-level regression and latent profile analysis, we examine 2,100 US, K-12, full-time teacher responses from the Student and Teacher Wellness During COVID-19 Pandemic and Intensified Resistance to Racial Injustice survey (Author, 2021) administered across 46 states.

Preliminary results from a multi-level model show that there were different educator stress and wellness rates across geographic regions. Stress rates were lower in the Northeast and Midwest regions, with the highest rates of stress being reported in the Southwest region. Additionally, teachers in the Southeast reported the largest increase in student mental health concerns. Subsequent analyses will employ a confirmatory factor analysis to explore latent factors influence on educator stress, coping, and well-being and the relationship between teacher training in wellness and teacher reports of stress and well-being. The findings of this study will help examine state and local policies regarding educator wellness, as well as provide a better understanding of how to support student and educator wellness to limit educator stress and increase retention.

Authors

• Kathryn Watson, University of Iowa

• Elizabeth F. Levine-Brown, George Mason University

• Kate L. Phillippo, Loyola University Chicago

• Duhita Mahatmya, University of Iowa

• Naomi Brown, George Mason University

• Megan C. Sharkey, George Mason University