This collaborative, multidisciplinary project (Economics, Psychology and Neuroscience, and Education) examines how the COVID-19 pandemic has shaped North Carolina’s educator workforce. Using a multi-method approach, the research integrates teacher working conditions surveys, personnel and school-level data from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (DPI), and qualitative interviews led by the Strengths, Assets, and Resilience (StAR) Lab. The project focuses on educators who were teaching/employed in select NC counties during the pandemic (2020-2022). This project seeks to identify protective factors and evidence-based supports that help to promote educator well-being and effectiveness as they work to promote student well-being.
Broad research questions include:
- How did student learning loss and behavioral difficulties during the pandemic affect the educator workforce?
- What supports did districts provide for teachers and students?
- How did mental health interventions, piloted in several North Carolina districts, influence educator well-being and retention?
