Teacher Survey

Teacher Burnout Top Concern Among Fellow Educators

• By Kate Lucariello
• 10/18/22

A national survey conducted during summer 2022 by research-based literacy company Lexia Learning found that the majority of educators (71%) are worried about teacher burnout during the 2022-2023 school year, even though most (66%) are optimistic about the new year.

The survey was sent to a random sample of 20,000 Lexia users who logged into myLexia during the six months prior. Results showed that 75% of educators feel that more one-on-one time would help their students, and more than half feel their students need specialist help such as special ed teachers, subject-matter tutors and school psychologists. While more than half are concerned about teacher shortages (52%), even more (66%) are worried about the availability of non-teacher staff support: custodians, bus drivers, teachers’ aids, substitute teachers, etc., and whether their schools have the resources to pay for them.

A national survey conducted in January by the National Education Association (NEA) bears up these concerns, with 90% of NEA members worried that an alarming number of educators will quit their profession earlier than planned, an exodus fueled by the pandemic. A high percentage of these are already underrepresented Black and Hispanic/Latino educators, the NEA survey found.

As for solutions to the problem, a huge majority of Lexia respondents (83%) believe that more teachers would stay for higher pay, and 71% for smaller class sizes. Only 55% feel that schools have been compensating teachers fairly. While most educators overall feel their schools have done a good job investing in pandemic-induced distance learning with digital tools and classroom technology, an overwhelming 81% worry their students will fall behind if remote learning is reinstated, with 76% concerned that students’ social-emotional health will suffer.

Go here to read more of the Lexia survey results, and here to read more about the NEA survey.