Educators are speaking out about burnout, lack of support and feeling unseen. The educators were giving voice to struggles shared by workers in many professions today.
RedefinED Atlanta hosted the event, titled “A City Changing: Investing in the Educator Experience,” at the Commerce Club last Thursday. The nonprofit convened an audience of educators and advocates to address the challenges of retaining teachers and to explore ways to improve their experience in metro Atlanta and nationally.
RedefinED Atlanta Executive Director Angira Sceusi led the event. Vice President of Schools and Talent Emily Castillo Leon moderated the panel.
Panelists included Alisha Albritten, chief human resources officer for Clayton County Schools; Leslie Hazle Bussey, executive director of the Georgia Leadership Institute for School Improvement; Nichole Stone, chief people officer with Purpose Built Schools Atlanta; and Michael Franco, vice president of national consulting for The New Teacher Project (TNTP).
Rebecca Parshall, director of strategy and development with Learn4Life, also joined the discussion.
Parshall noted that data shows teacher and principal stress is nearly “twice as high as the average working adult” in the U.S.
“Half of the workforce is so discontented that if they have an option, they want to leave,” she said, adding that 79% of teachers experiencing burnout report not feeling supported by their school administrators.
There are 158 open teacher positions at metro Atlanta schools.
Franco emphasized that a positive teacher experience directly translates to student performance. Stone agreed: “Teachers will tell us exactly how to make it better for them. We have to create the conditions in schools based on the feedback they are giving us.”
At Purpose Built Schools Atlanta, Stone said teachers are offered free lunch, and she makes regular visits to the district’s three schools to listen to their needs and concerns.
More broadly, in 2023, metro Atlanta’s eight school districts enrolled more than 574,000 students and reported an 84 percent graduation rate. Yet only 49 percent of eighth-grade students were proficient in math, and just 38 percent of third graders were reading at grade level.
“If we just look at high school graduation rates and celebrate those, they are not a marker of mastery of content,” Parshall said. “They are just a marker that you passed your classes… You will get a false sense of how our students in our region are doing.”
Nationally, TNTP research has found that educators want regular positive feedback, opportunities for leadership, public recognition and encouragement.
“We often reduce educators and students into a package of skills,” Bussey said.
What’s important, she continued, is asking: “Are students engaged in vibrant, career-connected learning that helps them flourish as human beings?” And do students feel that connection within themselves?
Bussey stressed that recognizing teachers as whole people, not just as employees, is what gives feedback about their skills real credibility.
Albritten said Clayton County Public Schools is also focused on retention. The district has partnered with Clayton State University to explore ways teachers can access affordable housing and is working to support teachers pursuing advanced credentials.
“We are beginning conversations on how do we publicly create all of the opportunities for teachers to grow, without [them] having to leave their schools, Albritten said. “Also building opportunities for teachers to showcase their leadership skills… [and] opportunities for leadership development.”
