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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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
Teaching Profession Opinion 'The Worst Rule I Ever Had to Live With ...': The Policies Teachers Hate
Sometimes, teachers are baffled by the directives coming their way.
Larry Ferlazzo, July 31, 2025
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9 min read
Education Week opinion letters submissions
Gwen Keraval for Education Week
School & District Management Letter to the Editor Another Approach to Treating Educator Burnout
School leaders need to push back against burdensome district mandates on behalf of their educators’ well-being, writes a teacher.
July 28, 2025
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1 min read
An illustration of hands on the keyboard of a laptop with a male educator writing a speech bubble on a green classroom chalkboard.
Taylor Callery for Education Week
English Learners Here's What Resources ESL Teachers Say Would Improve Their Morale
EdWeek Research Center survey data found two key priorities that could raise morale.
Ileana Najarro & Alex Harwin, July 25, 2025
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3 min read
Illustration of a close up head of a male educator from the eyes up with open head / mind. Creating a platform for a scene in which we find mental health counselor and empty seat across from him. Radiating lines acting as sun rays emanating from sun / mind. These elements are drawn in chalk on board. Radiating sun reflects the idea of the positivity found in the process of working with a mental health counselor.
Taylor Callery for Education Week
English Learners Why ESL Teachers Are Calling for More Mental Health Support
Survey data analysis found more mental health counselors at school can boost morale for English-as-a-second language teachers.
Ileana Najarro & Alex Harwin, July 25, 2025
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3 min read
11 people walk through a large, dark room towards the exit door, which lights up the scene in a dramatic way. People carry boxes and various bags, indicating that they are relocating or have been laid off from work. Vector illustration.
DigitalVision Vectors
School & District Management Why These K-12 Administrators Left Education—and What They Did Next
What do a nurse, an emergency responder, and an AI expert have in common? They used to work in schools.
Olina Banerji, July 14, 2025
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7 min read
A second grader shares a story he wrote with a teacher.
A second grader shares a story he wrote with a teacher. This year, 16% of teachers reported an intent to leave the classroom, down from 22% last year.
Allison Shelley for All4Ed
Teaching Profession Fewer Teachers Plan to Quit, But Pay and Burnout Are Still Major Issues
Teachers still feel overworked and underpaid, but some signs suggest things may be slowly improving.
Ciara Meyer, July 8, 2025
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4 min read
Image of National Teacher of the Year 2025, Ashlie Crosson, a Pennsylvania English teacher.
The 2025 National Teacher of the Year, Ashlie Crosson, teaches English in Pennsylvania.
Courtesy of Brett Sims
Teaching Profession Q&A Planning for a Great Year? The Nation's Top Teacher Has You Covered
Little ways administrators can support teachers can make a big difference, says the 2025 Teacher of the Year.
Sarah D. Sparks, July 1, 2025
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5 min read
Takeaways on morale building between teachers and principals.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva
School & District Management Teachers Want to Be Seen and Heard. How 2 Principals Make It Happen
Teachers should have a voice. Principals should be more vulnerable to critiques. That’s the key to a healthy dynamic.
Olina Banerji, June 30, 2025
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3 min read
Illustration of a grid of closed classroom doors drawn on notebook paper. Door at center of the illustration is open to reveal the orange silhouette of an educator interacting with an orange silhouette of a mother and son shown in a positive and warm landscape environment of greenery and blue skies.
Taylor Callery for Education Week
English Learners ESL Teachers Want More PD on Curriculum and Family Engagement
EdWeek Research Center survey data on teacher morale found English-as-as-second-language teachers seeking specific PD for morale.
Ileana Najarro & Alex Harwin, June 30, 2025
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4 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
Teaching Profession Opinion Want to Teach Overseas? Here's What You Need to Know
A classroom veteran spells out the pros and cons of teaching abroad.
Larry Ferlazzo, June 30, 2025
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4 min read
Thu., June 26, 2025, 2:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. ET
Teaching Profession K-12 Essentials Forum New Insights Into the Teaching Profession
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June 26, 2025
Westwood High School teacher Shaun Reedy instructs students on Oct. 18, 2022 in Mesa, Ariz. For several years, the Mesa district allowed Westwood to pilot a program to make it easier for the district to fill staffing gaps, grant educators greater agency over their work and make teaching a more attractive career. The model, known as team teaching, allows teachers to combine classes and grades rotating between big group instruction, one-on-one interventions, small study groups or whatever the team agrees is a priority each day.
Westwood High School teacher Shaun Reedy instructs students on Oct. 18, 2022 in Mesa, Ariz. For several years, the Mesa district has allowed Westwood to use a team-teaching model allowing teachers to rotate between big-group instruction, small study groups, and one-on-one tutoring. Teachers across content areas set the agenda for their cohort of students. Now, research suggests these collaborative models can aid teacher retention.
Matt York/AP
Recruitment & Retention Team Teaching Reduces Turnover Compared to Going Solo, New Research Finds
Teachers who work together to set the educational tone and practice for their students are twice as likely to stay at their schools.
Sarah D. Sparks, June 23, 2025
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4 min read
White birds flying out of a broken cage against a dark sky. A symbol of liberation, escape from restrictions, psychological healing. Optimism.
iStock/Getty
Teaching Profession Opinion My Career Began on a Zoom Screen 5 Years Ago. I Still Fell in Love With Teaching
Public education has become front-page news for all the wrong reasons. That’s not the whole story.
Alicia Simba, June 19, 2025
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4 min read
061725 cincinnati thumbnail KD BS
School & District Management Video This District’s Solution to Teacher Burnout? 4-Day School Weeks
A small Ohio district uses a four-day school week to recruit and retain teachers, while improving their work-life balance.
Kaylee Domzalski, June 17, 2025
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2:38
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