Teacher welfare

Offensive behaviour against school leaders in Australia is at record levels, and of those who have been subject to physical violence at work in the last 12 months students were the perpetrators in 96% of cases. In this 5-minute read we look at the results of the latest Australian Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey.

Did the COVID-19 pandemic affect public perceptions of teachers and the teaching profession, and how were their views and beliefs influenced by media coverage? Researchers in the UK have been exploring these questions, and their findings offer some interesting insights into how society values the profession, and the impact this has on teacher mental health and wellbeing.

In our first reader submission of the new year, Dr Rebecca J Collie shares findings from her latest study showing the link between teacher motivation, wellbeing and retention, and how this can help school leaders support staff.

Our ninth annual reader survey recently concluded and in it, we invited you to share a piece of advice you'd give to a fellow educator. Here are some of your responses on the topic of continuous learning.

Our ninth annual reader survey recently concluded and many of you took the opportunity to let us know you’d like more support on managing teacher workload. You also shared some advice to your fellow educators on this very topic. In this infographic, we share some of those words of wisdom.

In this episode of The Research Files, we speak with Suzanne Rice from the University of Melbourne about her new research paper which explores the current diversity of Australia’s teacher workforce, the positive impact a diverse teacher workforce can have on student outcomes, and practical strategies for school leaders on retaining a diverse staff.

‘We examined the extent to which teacher wellbeing changes over one school term, and the role of teacher-student relationships in how these changes unfold.’ In our latest reader submission, Rebecca J Collie and Andrew J Martin, from the School of Education at UNSW, share findings from their latest study.

Understanding the key concerns of your school staff can help inform professional development and supports provided. A recent survey asked teachers working in preschool to year 12 settings to share how often they worry about COVID-19 and other extreme events, such as natural disasters and critical incidents.

In this extract from their new book, Leading Improvement in School Community Wellbeing, Dr Donna Cross and Dr Leanne Lester are discussing the role of ‘wellbeing champions’ in a school setting, and the 4 key elements school leaders need to prioritise when it comes to staff wellbeing.

Recruiting career changers into teaching has become a strategy to address teacher shortages in hard-to-staff schools. In today’s article we speak to Dr Babak Dadvand from La Trobe University about his research that aims to provide a more nuanced understanding of how career change teachers navigate challenges in these schools in the early years of switching to the profession.