Workplace Well-Being

q&a

Amplifying Teachers' Voices: Q&A with Ashley Woo

Ashley Woo, an assistant policy researcher at RAND and a Ph.D. candidate at the Pardee RAND Graduate School, aims to bring teachers' perspectives into policymaking. In this interview, she discusses her research on teachers' responses to state restrictions on how they can address topics related to race and gender in the classroom.

commentary

Keeping Teachers of Color in the Classroom Will Take More Than a Pay Raise

All students—but particularly Black and Latinx students—benefit academically and socially from having teachers who are people of color. Policymakers and education leaders can help these teachers stay in the profession by making teaching more financially sustainable and fostering collegial relationships within school communities.

Elizabeth D. Steiner @ED_Steiner, Ashley Woo, et al.

commentary

Intelligence Work Is Exciting. And Traumatizing

The intelligence community needs to communicate to its workforce about the varied forms of trauma, how it affects individuals, and what resources exist to help. Protecting the intelligence workforce can help protect us all.

Heather J. Williams @HeatherJWill

blog

Back to School, Vaccinating Kids, Space Security: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the well-being of America's educators, the effort to vaccinate kids and teens, security in outer space, and more.

essay

How Educators Are Faring in the COVID Era

Teachers and principals are twice as likely as other workers to experience frequent job-related stress. They report higher rates of depression and burnout, and much lower rates of resilience. What can school districts do to better support them?

blog

Homelessness in L.A., Russia's Military Woes, Educator Morale: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on breaking the cycle of incarceration and homelessness, Russia’s ongoing military struggles, NATO expansion, and more.

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Politicized Topics in School, the War in Ukraine, Post-Quantum Cryptography: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the intrusion of politicized topics in America's schools, where the war in Ukraine may be headed, post-quantum cryptography, and more.

commentary

Will Teachers Quit? What Surveys Can and Can't Tell Us

There is no single source for reliable current data about teacher and principal turnover or job openings, so it's understandable that journalists rely on survey data to monitor the health of the teacher and principal workforce. But media coverage that focuses only on the connection, or lack thereof, between teachers' intentions to leave and actual turnover stands the risk of minimizing the clearly stated dissatisfaction that educators are expressing.

Sy Doan, Elizabeth D. Steiner @ED_Steiner

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Educators' Poor Morale Matters, Even If They Don't Quit. Here's Why

State and district education leaders can take steps now to reduce teacher and principal stress this fall in two ways: Recognize that job-related stress is systemic and that educators closer to the classroom may experience more of it, and talk with teachers and principals about the sources of stress in their job, and what could alleviate them.

Elizabeth D. Steiner @ED_Steiner, Heather L. Schwartz @schwartz_hl, et al.

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Seven Ways to Build a Truly Equitable DEI Strategy

Despite growth in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) roles worldwide, not much has changed with the power structure in DEI spaces, which still center on the C-suite and tend to be populated with groups that are less knowledgeable on research in DEI. Here are seven strategies for building a more-equitable DEI program.

Rhianna C. Rogers

blog

Gun Storage, the Dangers of Replacement Theory, War in Ukraine: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on how Americans store their guns, why ‘replacement theory' is a danger to us all, the war in Ukraine, and more.

blog

Teachers' Stress, Drug Dealing in San Francisco, Preventing Mass Shootings: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on stress among America's educators, what state governments can do to prevent targeted violence, stopping open-air drug dealing in San Francisco, and more.

commentary

What Support Do Officers Need to Perform at Their Peak?

Police1's second annual survey on “What Cops Want” shows both major strengths and substantial challenges in the profession. Law enforcement leadership can use the findings to better support and engage their officers.

Bob Harrison

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How Data Can Help Refugees, Homelessness in L.A., Harm Reduction: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on tapping into Facebook data to help refugees, addressing homelessness in Los Angeles, understanding burnout among health care providers, and more.

commentary

The Great Resignation: American Workers Suffering a Crisis of Meaning

Americans are quitting their jobs in record numbers, creating significant shortages of workers for businesses. To understand and address this issue, policymakers might need to pay attention to noneconomic factors in addition to economic ones.

Krishna B. Kumar @kbkumar_