An investigation into professional teaching standards across Australia, Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom has found a lack of support is leading to teacher burnout that is costing billions globally.
Newly published research led by Professor Susan Ledger at the University of Newcastle shows that, although professional standards prioritise student wellbeing, the welfare of teachers is often forgotten.
Ledger emphasises that teacher wellbeing is not just important – but essential – explaining that professional standards must evolve to explicitly include the mental health and resilience of educators, rather than just focusing on outcomes.
“When the emphasis is solely on meeting benchmarks, teachers feel like they are merely fulfilling quotas instead of being supported in their development.
“Current policies worldwide fail to address this critical issue. Without urgent reforms, educators will continue to face stress and burnout, significantly impacting students.
“The scale of stress and burnout is staggering – in the UK, teachers’ suicide rates are nearly double the national average.”
Key points:
- Teachers are under intense pressure fuelled by scrutiny in the media, leading to a rise in wellbeing issues amongst principals, educators and students
- Trend has been exacerbated since the COVID-19 pandemic, impacting mental health and causing burnout
- In Australia, lack of social support and rising violence against educators are major issues.
Ledger says burnout – described as a ‘state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged stress, marked by feelings of detachment and overwhelming fatigue – is “completely incompatible with quality teaching”.
“Burnout doesn’t just affect teachers’ work; it affects their entire lives When teachers suffer, their students do too. Teacher stress spreads rapidly to students,” she says.
Ledger says teaching standards are crucial for ensuring quality and shaping what the profession values.
“Teaching standards are designed to ensure quality, but they also determine what is valued within the profession,” she says.
“They set expectations for performance and behaviour, influencing how teachers see their roles.”
But burnout can be reduced with the support of well-crafted professional standards that can enhance credibility, nurture professional growth and boost confidence.
“To improve wellbeing, standards must evolve to explicitly address the mental health and resilience of teachers, not just focus on student outcomes,” Ledger says.
“In the long term, this would be one of the best ways to improve student outcomes.”
