Special Report
Student Well-Being & Movement Infographic

Data Snapshot: What Teacher and Student Morale Looks Like Right Now

By EdWeek Research Center — January 06, 2021 1 min read
Mood Emojis shown in the form of a chart with data graphs ghosted behind them.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Teachers and students are struggling to maintain morale and motivation as the pandemic school year reaches the halfway point. The EdWeek Research Center conducted nationally representative surveys of K-12 teachers and middle and high school students to capture current attitudes for both groups. Here are some highlights.

Data: How has the coronavirus pandemic affected levels of motivation?
Data chart teachers' view of morale among students, teachers and administrators at their school.
Data chart students' view of morale among students, teachers and administrators at their school.
Data: How did your students (or you) react when you (or your teachers) stopped grading or counting grades during the pandemic?
Data: How are you feeling these days about the future?

Coverage of social and emotional learning is supported in part by a grant from The Allstate Foundation, at AllstateFoundation.org. Education Week retains sole editorial control over the content of this coverage.

A version of this article appeared in the January 06, 2021 edition of Education Week as A Look at Teacher and Student Morale

Events

Reading & Literacy K-12 Essentials Forum Supporting Struggling Readers in Middle and High School
Join this free virtual event to learn more about policy, data, research, and experiences around supporting older students who struggle to read.
School & District Management Webinar Squeeze More Learning Time Out of the School Day
Learn how to increase learning time for your students by identifying and minimizing classroom disruptions.
Recruitment & Retention Webinar EdRecruiter 2026 Survey Results: How School Districts are Finding and Keeping Talent
Discover the latest K-12 hiring trends from EdWeek’s nationwide survey of job seekers and district HR professionals.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Student Well-Being & Movement Spotlight Spotlight on Creating Safe Havens: Confronting Digital Threats and Supporting Student Well-Being
This Spotlight explores how creating safe havens and confronting digital threats supports student and staff well-being.
Student Well-Being & Movement What the Research Says Don't 86 the Six-Seven: Those Annoying Kid Trends Actually Have a Purpose
Children's culture can seem bizarre, but these fads can boost their social development.
5 min read
Middle school girl student playing a hand game with her friend on a school bus.
E+
Student Well-Being & Movement From Our Research Center Do Students Get Enough Recess? What Teachers Think
The EdWeek Research Center surveyed teachers about how much recess their students need, and get.
5 min read
A kindergarten student uses the balance beam during recess at Kingsford Heights Elementary in La Porte, Ind., on Oct. 27, 2025.
A kindergarten student uses the balance beam during recess at Kingsford Heights Elementary in La Porte, Ind., on Oct. 27, 2025. Elementary teachers generally believe recess is important, but there's no consensus on how much per day is ideal, new survey data show.
Elizabeth Bunton/La Porte County Herald-Dispatch via AP
Student Well-Being & Movement Opinion SEL Doesn't Need a Rebrand. It Needs Something Else
Everyone in K-12 plays a role in ensuring social-emotional learning prospers, says Marc Brackett.
Marc Brackett
6 min read
Digital drawing of person meditating. Concept of busy life, busy mind and finding peace in all of that. SEL education emotional regulation.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty