PEW Report Findings and Last Chance to Use       
  ESSER Funds To Support Our Teachers

By Mark T. Greenberg Ph.D.
Emeritus Bennett Chair of Prevention Science, Penn State University,
Chair of CREATE (www.createforeducation.org)

A new report from the Pew Research Center describes the feelings and needs of teacher in 2024…. and as you would guess the news is not good for teachers, children or families.  77% of teachers say their job is frequently stressful and 52% say they would not advise a young person starting out today to become a teacher.

Even under the best conditions, teaching is a highly demanding profession. Given the pressure on teachers in out post-Covid environment, don’t you find it surprising that teacher wellness is still not a central policy issue in education?

If there was ever a time, need, and opportunity to support teachers it is now!  In fact, the ESSER funds that can support teacher development and well-being will soon end (funds must be allocated by September of 2024). Further, CASEL recommends that supporting teacher’s well-being should be one of the three highest priorities for district’s use of ARP funds.

There are now a number of evidence-based Adult SEL Programs that have been carefully studied in randomized trials and two of the most prominent are CARE and CALM.  These programs have been shown to improve teacher well-being, their enjoyment of teaching, and to lower burnout and symptoms of anxiety and depression. CARE has also shown improvement in student’s motivation and learning as well as the quality of classroom instruction. CALM has shown positive effects on physiological indicators of teacher health (lowering cortisol and blood pressure).

The fact that evidence-based Adult SEL programs have led to such broad improvements should be of great interest to administrators, school boards, and unions – all of whom are deeply invested in teachers being well and successful.  Isn’t our goal to retain and improve the competency of our teachers to support student’s educational success? Yet, high-quality professional development for teachers focused on their own social and emotional competence is still a rare event. 

If we are to improve outcomes for students, we must focus on the lives of teachers. We can reduce burnout and attrition and increase instructional equality by focusing on both student and adult SEL, reforming teacher education, and creating systemic change at the school level to increase support for teachers.  If we are to take seriously the task of supporting teacher’s well-being, the time is now!