Teachers Are Not All Right

The pandemic has put unprecedented demands on teachers, who were asked to pivot instruction to the cloud and find new ways of connecting with families and students. Julia Kaufman and Melissa Diliberti offer fresh evidence on how teachers are faring as they navigate these unprecedented times. Their review of teacher surveys available to date shows: Teachers' workloads spiked last spring and haven't let up. On average, teachers are working six more hours per week than before the pandemic. All teachers, but especially those teaching remotely and in high-poverty schools, are struggling to provide instruction, engage students, manage technology, and much more. Morale has fallen sharply and seems to be getting worse as challenges compound and build. According to a survey by RAND, about one-quarter of all teachers reported they were likely to leave the teaching profession by the end of the year.