The professional role of a school principal encompasses various tasks, including administrative, legal, strategic, financial, and managerial responsibilities in the education sector. The intricate nature of their work exposes principals to increasing stress, leading to burnout. This qualitative study with 15 principals aims to identify key factors…

Teachers are leaving the field at high rates, and it is important to investigate factors that impact teacher attrition including stress and burnout. In a sample of 468 teachers, 78% of teachers had thoughts of leaving or were leaving the field. Teachers were asked about their stress, coping, burnout, and efficacy with classroom management.…

How stressed are school superintendents? What are the reasons for their stress? To find out, authors surveyed 150 superintendents in American School District Panel member districts. In spring 2023, 79 percent of superintendents reported that their jobs were "often" or "always" stressful. Superintendents most commonly cited the…

Individuals working in school settings are particularly vulnerable to work-related stress. Data from the 2013 Gallup-Health-ways Well-Being Index found that 46% of teachers in K-12 settings report high levels of daily stress (Lever et al., 2017). About 40% of Black or African American teachers were considering leaving their jobs, compared with…

Compassion fatigue and secondary traumatic stress can be exhausting for education leaders. The good news, says district administrator Mona Johnson, is that they can also be prevented.

The purpose of this qualitative research study is to identify role changes that mid- level management (directors) experienced due to COVID-19. The research aims to identify these role changes, the impact of those role changes on the participants, and how they balanced their roles at work and at home. Fourteen directors at private colleges in New…

This exploratory qualitative study was focused on the impact of state and federal mandates on the role of middle school principals, specifically what increased responsibilities and major areas of stress middle school principals are experiencing; how any enhanced stress impacts these middle school principals, both professionally and personally; and…

Purpose: This study centers the reflections of principals across the USA as they navigated the overwhelming stress of closing and reopening schools during a global pandemic. Specifically, the authors explored how school principals addressed self-care and their own well-being during the pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: This research study is…

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…

Teachers interacting with stressed and traumatized children are susceptible to secondary traumatic stress. Unlike college coursework in other social service disciplines, a dearth of literature on this topic informs teacher preparation programs. Prevention and intervention strategies for educators are suggested in this article.

This article presents findings from a study into the reality of beginning as a principal in a New Zealand secondary school. The views of beginning, experienced and former principals are presented and discussed drawing on the literature of organisational sensemaking. The findings suggest that the challenges of unexpected occurrences, relationship…

For women administrators in higher education, workplace factors like managing multiple roles; work bleeding into personal life; issues with leadership; discrimination and marginalization; and role insufficiency (i.e., ambiguity in work roles and reduced sense of control) contribute to increased workplace stress. Individual coping responses are…

Little is known about stress perception and perceived coping mechanisms used by special educators. This article presents a study with 211 special educators to determine how they deal with stress. Participants completed a survey reporting stressors and coping skills. Special educators reported stress in their positions. Increased caseloads,…

The transition from teaching to assistant principalship is a turning point in a teacher's professional career. This transition not only reflects a change in one's hierarchical standing at the school but also constitutes a stage that affects one's administrative identity and aspirations to further advance in the management arena. Despite the…

This study explored issues facing deans within higher education, specifically deans of doctoral granting schools/colleges of education. The study explored key challenges/issues and related stress education deans experience at research universities.