Can a Teacher Professional Learning Program Reduce Teacher Burnout?

AIR Impact Study Finds That a Unique Instructional Coaching Program Boosted Teachers’ Enthusiasm About Teaching

Compared to average workers in the United States, teachers exhibit higher levels of job-related stress, with roughly half of teachers showing signs of burnout. For policymakers and school leaders, some promising levers to lower teacher burnout are salaries, work schedules, and working conditions. 

A new impact study from AIR calls attention to another lever to reduce teacher burnout—instructional coaching that focuses on teachers’ successes in the classroom. The study examined the impact of a program called MyTeachingPartner, which has features that distinguish it from most coaching programs.

To assess the program’s impact, AIR launched a randomized controlled trial in fall 2021. Within each study school, AIR randomly assigned half of the volunteering teachers to participate in the instructional coaching program for 2 years on top of their normal activities (i.e., treatment teachers). The other half of volunteering teachers (i.e., control teachers) just continued as normal. 

At the end of the program, AIR compared the treatment and control teachers and found that the program increased participants' enthusiasm about teaching and lowered their negative sentiments about teaching. 

Learn more about the evaluation study and the impact on teachers' enthusiasm about teaching.