The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic undermined basic routines and typical conduct of schools, introducing uncertainty and instability to an extent that schools had never encountered in the last decades. The current study focuses on leaders' coping strategies while struggling to maintain school stability and on the extent to which these extreme…

This study examined the lived experiences of veteran female K-12 teachers who taught during the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants emphasized relationship building, the reevaluation of teaching as a career, the importance of administrative and systemic support, and both positive and negative experiences of teaching during the pandemic. This study…

When COVID-19 changed schooling in Illinois from face-to-face teaching and learning to remote teaching and learning, the transformation was sudden and swift. While there may have been premonitions and feelings of urgency about the effects of the novel coronavirus, there was little time to plan for the change that would take place and little…

This research was conducted to understand how 30 American school leaders coped with the COVID-19 pandemic. A case study approach was used in the study. The researchers used convenience and snowball sampling to conduct Zoom interviews in May 2020. The research findings revealed that leaders faced numerous difficulties related to having to lead…

This brief is one in a series aimed at providing K-12 education decision makers and advocates with an evidence base to ground discussions about how to best serve students during and following the novel coronavirus pandemic. It addresses one central question: What does the research say about structural supports that enable teacher well-being? In…

Traumatic crises can have a lifelong effect. The majority of children, however, will not develop lasting problems following a crisis. The immediate goal of the school is to minimize the negative impact, support coping, accelerate adjustment, and instill confidence in students that school staff is available to address their needs. Support and…

This national survey of 1,201 kindergarten through Grade-12-U.S. teachers focused on three related areas: (1) sources of teacher stress, (2) manifestations of stress, and (3) suggested coping strategies. The survey instrument was adapted from the Teacher Stress Inventory and the Coping Scale for Adults. Results indicated that teachers nationwide…

Provides a list of the causes of stress in a principal's job and then a list of steps a principal can take to cope with them. (IRT)

In a research project examining stress and coping strategies among heads of year in a British comprehensive school, role conflict and role ambiguity emerged as stressors. Subsequent sessions on positive uses of stress and staff willingness to discuss stressful incidents were only partly effective. Alternative recommendations are provided. Includes…

A study examined principals' working conditions to identify key areas of job-related stress. Documentation of stressful incidents reported by five rural principals indicated that external- and internal-management sources of stress were equally frequent. The cycle of stressful experiences was more intense than a decade ago. Leadership…

This study identifies specific coping techniques helpful to educators in handling the tensions of their jobs, clusters the reported techniques into coping categories, assesses the number and frequency of coping techniques used by educators, and identifies similarities and differences in coping responses. (Author/TE)

Describes the most frequent stress producers identified by school administrators. Suggests four areas that warrant further training and improvement--time management, interpersonal relations, community relations, and coping with rules and regulations. (Author/WD)

Intended as a synthesis of current literature on school improvement and educational change, this guide attempts to provide central office personnel, principals, teachers, and parents with an overview of five school improvement models, along with practical suggestions for improving instructional programs. The second chapter summarizes relevant…

Describes a databased taxonomy of behaviors that elementary and secondary school teachers use to cope with both internally and externally derived work stress, considers the effectiveness of such behaviors, discusses methods for preparing teachers for working conditions, and points out the value of the taxonomy for future research. (PGD)

Findings of a study that examined the relationship of administrative role conflict and ambiguity with stress and burnout are presented in this paper. A survey sent to 1,000 Washington State administrators (250 each from the following groups--elementary, junior, and senior high school principals; and superintendents) elicited 741 returns, a 74…