According to a recent RAND survey, teachers are twice as likely to experience job-related stress compared to other working adults. Consequently, staff well-being must be a top priority for school administrators. Yet, where do you start?

Download the Top 10 Professional Development Activities for Supporting Staff Well-being and select one to incorporate into your next staff professional development activity or meeting.

This year has challenged school administrators like no other, as they have been expected to do the unimaginable to safely and effectively meet the needs of an entire community of staff, students, and families. In fact, in a study of over 1000 school leaders, 95% named “anxiety” as an emotion they experienced during the prior two weeks, and in another study, 70% of school administrators reported having times in 2020 when they “have come close to breaking point.”

COVID is undeniably taking a toll on the personal and professional lives of administrators, leaving them susceptible to mental health issues and burnout.

Yet, where can school leaders turn for support, guidance, and resources?

Honored to be lead author on this document developed by the Collaborative on Social & Emotional Learning that describes the connection between social and emotional learning and restorative practices, how they are mutually supportive, and how to implement both in an integrated way.

Academic demands, negative peer influence, social media, and developmental changes all lead to high levels of anxiety and depression among teenagers. And now COVID—and its expectations for social-distancing—adds another level of upheaval by significantly interrupting their basic developmental needs.

Self-care is more than a visit to the spa. It’s about the deliberate and scientifically proven strategies of neutralizing stress, engaging in lifestyle practices, and developing social and emotional competencies and positive mindsets.

The Educator Context and Stress Spectrum was designed to support teachers and principals in gaining a greater awareness of how their current personal and professional context affects their levels of stress in the time of COVID-19.

I've never been more convinced that student voice is one of the most powerful - yet untapped - assets available to schools. I’m fortunate to have the opportunity to play a role in creating resources and sharing stories of how others have been successful in elevating youth voice in their school or district.

This compelling essay, written by Adelric McCain, suggests that as we reimagine school this fall, educators seize the opportunity to create learning spaces in which the identities of young people really matter and that all students are seen and heard.

It’s impossible to re-imagine education without the lens and context of race. Inspired by the work of Dr. Kendi, this visual reflects one man’s journey to becoming Anti-Racist.

I’ve also included one of the best reading lists I've seen that covers a wide range of content on race, racism, allyship, mental health, and inclusive leadership.

Turnaround for Children suggests inoculating children and their caregivers against the intolerable stress of the scary, uncertain world in which we now live. This happens by focusing on the Three Rs: Relationships, Routines and Resilience in homes, schools, and wherever adults and students spend time.

This infographic from Unicef’s publication on the “Second Window of Opportunity” is an apt reminder that adolescence is a critical time for SEL, mental health, and health prevention efforts.

I love this article from the Carnegie Corporation of NY that discusses ways in which Social and Emotional Learning prepares high school students for adulthood.