One of the activities I enjoy most with school district leaders is mapping out all their initiatives to support staff well-being. For many, the issue isn’t a lack of effort; they’re often doing too much rather than too little. The key lies in identifying which actions will make a difference.
Data plays a significant role in education discussions. And supporting staff well-being is no exception. Below are three data points that can strengthen your strategy for supporting teacher and staff well-being:
Educator retention data
Education leaders can always get behind a metric that impacts their budget or improves student achievement. Educator retention does both. It’s expensive to replace an educator (up to $20,000 per educator in a large urban district according to Child Trends), and it disrupts the school culture and climate which we know contributes to student success.
Look at your district retention rates and see if you find gaps in categories of employees that turnover the most (e.g., by job function, for grade level, by tenure) and create a well-being plan specifically for that population. Improving well-being also improves satisfaction and the likelihood that someone will stay in their job – saving your district money and improving academic outcomes.
Workers’ compensation claims
Workplace safety and workers’ comp may not be under the purview of a well-being lead, but it’s a beneficial collaboration with staff well-being and can have a huge impact on work. Identify where there are opportunities to improve safety, develop training, or address issues that are impacting your educators the most. We’ve worked with a district that saw a dramatic drop in their student-caused injuries to paraprofessionals by implementing intentional interventions, such as on-going monitoring to identify where and what targeted training was needed to prevent or reduce injuries. Educators must feel healthy and safe to educate. Taking care of these basic needs will increase your program’s success, and your school and district’s success.
Staff survey
A staff survey may seem like the most basic measure, but it’s also the easiest to implement, analyze, and update regularly. You can measure year over year, and sort by school, grade level, job function, or other basic information. Find out how people are feeling, and what they actually want. We have great tips and examples here.
The demands on district leaders and educators aren’t slowing down, but with the right data, your response can be smarter and more focused. By looking strategically at what you’re doing and what’s working – or not working – you can direct your efforts where they will have the greatest impact and build a well-being program that supports staff now and for the long term.
