District leaders report pandemic-era teacher workloads have at least doubled, contributing to burnout concerns and earlier-than-planned retirements¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · qualitative r? · q2
Currency · newest study 2021 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · recheck by 2026: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

q2 i? District leaders estimated teacher workloads have at least doubled and worried this could lead to burnout and increased turnover. → Carver-Thomas 2021 q2 i? Most district leaders said the steep learning curve of online learning was a primary contributor to some teachers' decisions to retire earlier than planned. → Carver-Thomas 2021

Evidence¶

Carver-Thomas 2021¶

Carver-Thomas, D., Leung, M., & Burns, D. (2021). California teachers and COVID-19: How the pandemic is impacting the teacher workforce. Learning Policy Institute. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/california-covid-19-teacher-workforce doi:10.54300/987.779

q2 · i? · qualitative · r?

Interview findings from California district leaders in fall 2020. Leaders estimated "teacher workloads have at least doubled" and expressed concern about burnout and turnover; one rural superintendent reported workload had tripled.

"With district leaders estimating that teacher workloads have at least doubled, many were concerned that the stressors of managing the challenges of the pandemic on top of the challenges of an increased workload could lead to teacher burnout and increased turnover rates."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Retirements and resignations rose in some districts during the pandemic and leaders expect higher retirement rates next year — related
• Increased retirements and resignations contributed to shortages in most large districts surveyed — related
• Core Teams identified communication challenges, school and district leadership turnover, and teacher burnout as barriers that influenced solution success — related
• Most surveyed California districts faced increased teacher vacancies over pre-COVID-19 years and greater difficulty filling them — related
• High teacher attrition, near 8% annually, is the largest share of teacher demand, and halving it could virtually eliminate shortages — related
• Districts report severe substitute teacher shortages during the pandemic, straining remaining teachers who must cover absent colleagues' classes — related
• California's CalSAAS dashboards exclude teacher turnover and retention data needed for workforce planning — related
• Young researchers show higher risk for burnout, and extreme workload is normalised in academic success narratives — related