Upbeat, a K-12 education technology & research company, has released a new research report highlighting the critical connection between belonging, wellbeing, and teacher retention. Titled "The Importance of Teacher Working Conditions for Teacher Retention in the Post-COVID Era", authored by Dr. Havala Hanson and Dr. Matthew A. Kraft of Brown University, the research report reveals the critical impact of Upbeat's survey items on teacher retention.
BROOKLYN, N.Y., Sept. 4, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Upbeat, a K-12 education technology & research company, has released a new research report highlighting the critical connection between belonging, wellbeing, and teacher retention. Titled "The Importance of Teacher Working Conditions for Teacher Retention in the Post-COVID Era", authored by Dr. Havala Hanson and Dr. Matthew A. Kraft of Brown University, the research report reveals the critical impact of Upbeat's survey items on teacher retention. The report shows that for every 10-percentage-point increase in positive perceptions of a school's working conditions as measured by Upbeat, there is a corresponding 4.6-percentage-point increase in the school's retention rate.
The new report reviews responses from over 50,000 teachers on Upbeat's Engagement Survey for Teachers in fall 2021 and fall 2022. Upbeat's survey consists of 22 research-based categories to improve teacher retention.
"Understanding and improving school working conditions is essential for retaining our teachers," said Dr. Hanson. "Our research shows that even small improvements in how teachers perceive their working environment can lead to significant gains in retention, underscoring the need to prioritize these efforts in the post-COVID era."
The report highlights the following key findings:
- Schools where staff have positive perceptions of their working conditions consistently achieve higher retention rates: The report finds that for every 10-percentage point increase in positive perceptions of a school's working conditions there is an associated 4.6 percentage point increase in teacher retention.
- Belonging & Wellbeing have a large impact on teacher retention
- At Upbeat, we measure belonging and wellbeing with the following questions:
I have someone to turn to at their school when I am having a difficult time
I feel like I belong at my school
People at my school care about me
I can successfully manage the stress of my job
I have ways to prevent the stress of my job from harming my mental health
My school supports teachers' mental wellbeing
- On average, schools where agreement with Belonging & Wellbeing items was highest (the top quartile) retained 81% of their teachers. In comparison, schools in the bottom quartile retained 71% of their teachers, on average.
- Belonging & Wellbeing were especially important for early career teachers: A 10-percentage point increase in agreement with Belonging & Wellbeing items among a school's teachers is associated with a 6.6 percentage point increase in retention among teachers with fewer than five years of experience and a 4.3 percentage points increase among veteran teachers
- Perceptions about Self-Efficacy matter: Schools where many teachers have a high sense of self-efficacy tend to have higher retention rates. Offering useful professional development can support teachers to excel in their craft. However, creating an environment that is safe and orderly and managing teacher workloads are just as important for improving teachers' feelings of self-efficacy.
- What happens when teachers don't respond to a survey? They are more likely to be frustrated by their work environment and leave their school. Over 10,000 teachers in our analytic sample did not respond to the survey. Nonrespondents had retention rates that were eight percentage points lower than those who completed the survey (71% vs. 79%, respectively).
"At Upbeat, our goal is to make the teaching profession more sustainable and partner with districts to improve the everyday work environments of teachers because we know that will positively impact students across our country," said Upbeat Founder and CEO Henry Wellington. "I'm proud to share this research tying clear teacher retention outcomes with improvements in our survey items at Upbeat."
The complete research report is available for download on teachupbeat.com.
For more information, please contact: Kate Chizek, Director of Marketing, kate@teachupbeat.com, 319-383-0688.
Media Contact
Kate Chizek, Upbeat, 1 3193830688, kate@teachupbeat.com, teachupbeat.com
SOURCE Upbeat
Share this article