Teacher Morale, Job Satisfaction, and Burnout in Schools of Choice Following the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Teachers have faced a range of challenges over the past two years. Student enrollment patterns have been studied during the COVID-19 pandemic, with many families seeking alternatives to traditional public schools, including charter and private schools. Less is known about the experiences of teachers in these alternatives. This study explored predictors of teacher job satisfaction, burnout, and morale. Of particular interest was whether these presented differently across school types. We surveyed teachers nationwide (n=798) in May 2022 to better understand their experiences. Three linear regression models were tested. Results suggested that teacher autonomy and administrative support significantly predict each of our three outcome variables. Private school teachers experienced greater job satisfaction than traditional public school teachers. Private and charter school teachers reported greater morale than traditional public school teachers. Teachers experienced burnout similarly across sectors, and teaching in a magnet school was not a significant predictor in any of the models tested.

The Relationship between Access to Mental Health Resources, Administrative Support, and Teacher Burnout

“…Based on previous studies conducted throughout the pandemic found teachers reported increased workloads and high levels of stress, anxiety, and burnout (e.g., Carver-Thomas, 2021; Marshall & Pressley, 2024;Padmanabhanunni & Pretorius, 2023;Rǎducu & Stǎnculescu, 2022;Sokal et al, 2020;Trinidad, 2021;Westphal et al, 2022). Thus, we decided to use a short burnout scale to limit the time and work required of teachers at the end of the school year.…”

Why teachers leave: It isn’t what you think

“…Many studies have considered what drives teachers to leave the profession, but so often, those conversations and questions center on readily identifiable problems (Madigan & Kim, 2021). These include unsupportive administration, lack of resources, student discipline problems, and planning time interruptions (Buck, 2023; Marshall et al, in press; Pressley, 2021). After talking with teachers at length about what was driving high levels of attrition, we got the sense that, while the standard litany of issues was certainly prevalent, something else was going on.…”

COVID‐19 and K‐12 teachers: Associations between mental health, job satisfaction, perceived support, and experiences of ageism and sexism

“…Since the early onset of the COVID‐19 pandemic, public school teachers in the U.S. have been faced to navigate uncharted learning environments (e.g., online learning, hybrid models, and managing in‐person), experienced tremendous strains to mental health, and reported dissatisfaction with the profession altogether (Baker et al., 2021; Chan et al., 2021; Herman et al., 2021; Kush et al., 2021; Marshall et al., 2023; Robinson et al., 2022; Will et al., 2020). Since March 2020, teacher attrition has become an increasingly major issue in the U.S.…”

“…Perceived support, which includes both emotional and material support, is an essential part to well‐being (Lazarus & Folkman, 1987). In the context of the workplace, research both preceding and during the pandemic points to the critical role that perceived support plays in reducing stress, anxiety, and depression, and improving job satisfaction among teachers (Bottani et al., 2019; Chan et al., 2021; Herman et al., 2021; Marshall et al., 2023; Pressley et al., 2021). Teachers rely on school‐level sources of support such as academic resources, parent communication, and instructive support from administrators (Chang, 2009; Herman et al., 2020) and these sources of support became even more critical during the pandemic as teachers faced novel disruptions and stressors, including online learning and the potential threat of contracting the virus (Kush et al., 2021).…”

“…As another example, Marshall et al. (2023) asked 798 PK‐12 teachers in the U.S. to complete an online survey assessing their experiences during the 2021–2022 school year and found that administrative support predicted greater job satisfaction.…”