Job Satisfaction

Education news, analysis, and opinion about how teachers and staff feel about their jobs, including issues related to burnout and stress

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The State of Teaching, 2026 Edition
New national data on the teaching profession, vivid reporting from classrooms, and resources to help support this essential profession.
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New Teacher Support Coaches engross in a discussion during New Teacher Support Coaches Professional Learning session on November 7, 2025 at Center for Professional Development in Fresno.
Coaches who support new teachers meet on November 7, 2025, at the Fresno, Calif., school district's Center for Professional Development. Nurturing the morale of new teachers is a big challenge for schools across the country.
Andri Tambunan for Education Week
Teaching Profession Quiz Teachers, How Does Your Morale Compare With Your Colleagues'? Take Our Quiz
Take our online quiz and compare your morale score with that of teachers nationwide.
Education Week Staff, March 4, 2026
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1 min read
Winter in Lowville, N.Y. on Nov. 29, 2025. “There’s a lot of things here in our area that would certainly impact teacher morale if you let it,” said Zippel Principal Christopher Hallett. “We are very conscious of it here in our region. We are isolated in many, many ways: It’s a low-income population in a very rural area, so as you can imagine, there’s not a lot to do. Getting people to think outside the box about their own mental health and self-care is pretty important up here.”
Winter in Lowville, N.Y. on Nov. 29, 2025. For the past three years, teachers in the Northeast—including New York state—have reported significantly poorer morale than teachers in the West, Midwest, and South, according to the EdWeek Research Center’s annual survey. Said one Maine principal, Christopher Hallett: “There’s a lot of things here in our area that would certainly impact teacher morale if you let it."
Cara Anna/AP
Teaching Profession Why Are Teachers in This Region So Miserable?
It's not clear why New England and Mid-Atlantic teachers feel so burned out. But some fixes could help.
Sarah D. Sparks, March 4, 2026
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9 min read
SOT Downloadable School Leaders promo
Teaching Profession Download Insights for School Leaders: How to Better Support Teachers
EdWeek's downloadable guide offers tips to principals on how to improve the morale and working conditions of educators.
Sean Cavanagh, March 4, 2026
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1 min read
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Gen Z teachers like Katrina Sacurom, a 5th grade teacher in Frisco, Texas, are bringing passion and fresh ideas to the profession—but also want supports and a reasonable work-life balance. Districts leaders, experts say, need to think about how to meet those needs in order to retain them. Sacurom chats with students during recess at Shawnee Trail Elementary School on Feb. 3, 2026.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
Teaching Profession Generation Z Is Transforming Teaching. Are Districts Ready for Them?
The youngest cohort of teachers have been shaped by technological and educational disruption.
Sarah D. Sparks, March 4, 2026
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16 min read
SOT States data Illustration promo
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva
Teaching Profession A State-by-State Breakdown of Teacher Job Satisfaction in 2026
See the states that have the highest and lowest morale—and factors that might be shaping those numbers.
Holly Kurtz & Stephen Sawchuk, March 4, 2026
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4 min read
artistic collage of teacher under pressure
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva
Teaching Profession Teacher Morale in 2026: Five Takeaways
See five highlights from EdWeek's annual, national survey of U.S. teachers.
Holly Kurtz & Maya Riser-Kositsky, March 4, 2026
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1 min read
collaged image of a district leader contemplating schools in their district
Education Week via Canva
Teaching Profession Download Insights for School District Leaders: How to Better Support Teachers
EdWeek's downloadable guide offers tips for K-12 leaders on how they can improve the morale of educators.
Sean Cavanagh, March 4, 2026
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1 min read
Pedestrians cross a nearly empty street in downtown Bentonville, Arkansas, U.S., on Thursday, May 28, 2020. The annual Walmart Inc. shareholder celebration attracts a varied crowd who pour money into the hotels, bars and restaurants in and around the retailer's hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas. The Covid-19 pandemic forced Walmart to pivot to a virtual gathering on June 3.
Pedestrians cross a nearly empty street in downtown Bentonville, Ark., on May 28, 2020. The superintendent there has found strategies to recruit and retain educators, including child care and affordable housing for staff.
Terra Fondriest/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Recruitment & Retention District Leaders Want to Retain Talent. They Need to Look Beyond Just Compensation
There are steps K-12 leaders can take to keep teachers and principals in the leadership pipeline, administrators say.
Jennifer Vilcarino, February 11, 2026
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6 min read
A person hunched over and out of energy with school supplies raining down.
iStock + Education Week
Teaching Profession Opinion The Three Worst Words You Can Say to a Teacher
I’m sick of hearing the same patronizing advice from administrators and professional development trainers.
Jherine Wilkerson, January 9, 2026
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3 min read
A teacher leads a lesson in an eighth-grade Spanish class.
A teacher leads a lesson in an 8th grade Spanish class. Educators are struggling with work-related stress that they aren't sleeping—find out what's causing it.
Allison Shelley for All4Ed
Teaching Profession 'Constant Juggling': Teachers Share the Job Stressors That Keep Them Up at Night
Most educators point to the intense workload that doesn't stop after the school day ends.
Jennifer Vilcarino, December 26, 2025
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1 min read
autonomy
Recruitment & Retention 7 Things Teachers Say Would Make Them Stay on the Job
Educators pointed to everything from classroom size to the amount of autonomy they're given.
Elizabeth Heubeck, December 10, 2025
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3 min read
The Boston Globe’s Christopher Huffaker leads a panel about how to support teachers' morale and development at the Boston Children's Museum in Massachusetts on Dec. 4, 2025. The Globe partnered with Education Week in staging the the "State of Teaching" event.
The Boston Globe’s Christopher Huffaker leads a panel about supporting teachers' morale and development at the Boston Children's Museum on Dec. 4, 2025. The Globe partnered with Education Week in staging the event.<br/>
Suzanne Kreiter/Boston Globe
Teaching Profession Live Event Work Flexibility, Leader Stability Keys to High Teacher Morale
Education Week and the Boston Globe partnered on an event exploring the "State of Teaching" project.
Sarah D. Sparks, December 5, 2025
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5 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Recruitment & Retention Opinion How to Stop Hemorrhaging Teachers From the Profession
Even as some teachers seek other careers, school leaders can stem the flow.
Larry Ferlazzo, November 14, 2025
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10 min read
Vector illustration of a large yellow pencil overlaying a glowing earth on a dark blue background. There is a diverse group of professionals holding one another up on their shoulders to try and keep the pencil upright.
iStock/Getty
Recruitment & Retention What the Research Says How U.S. Teachers' Job Satisfaction Stacks Up Against Their Global Peers'
The largest international survey of teachers provides new insights into teacher satisfaction.
Sarah D. Sparks, October 28, 2025
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4 min read
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