A growing body of research suggests that teaching is one of the most stressful occupations in the United States. An alarming 46% of educators teaching grades K-12 experience high levels of daily stress (or chronic stress) throughout the school year, which is comparable to levels reported by nurses and physicians. Chronic occupational stress, such as working long hours and having excessive workloads, negatively impacts educators’ attitudes toward their work, as well as their health and well-being.
In order to help ensure that students receive high-quality instruction and support from their teachers,
administrators, superintendents, and other school leaders will need to work collectively to address these types of challenges within schools.