Understanding and measuring the wellbeing of leaders, educators, and staff

The same pandemic, economic, social, and political forces that have impacted students have also adversely affected many educators across roles and contexts.

Recognizing the critical connection between the wellbeing of adults and its mission to empower and motivate every learner, Lindsay Unified School District (LUSD) sought to gain greater understanding of educator and staff experiences during the pandemic. While some may have suffered tremendous loss, others have thrived in the face of new opportunities. In partnership with The Learning Accelerator (TLA), LUSD sought to accomplish three goals:

1. Adopt a framework to guide a study of adult wellbeing within the LUSD community;

2. Conduct a district-wide needs assessment to help LUSD prioritize responses to and support for adult wellbeing; and

3. Provide leaders and educators in the field with concrete language to talk about adult wellbeing in order to identify meaningful solutions that meet the specific needs of each school or district community.

Finding a Framework

This report drew from a series of focus groups with district leaders from across the country and over 60 diverse pieces of literature to develop a deeper understanding of adult wellbeing in the context of school communities and determine potential strategies for improvement. The report includes four sections:

1. Emerging Evidence of Adult Wellbeing: Challenges and Why It Matters

2. Drivers of Adult Wellbeing in School Communities

3. Actions Leaders Can Take to Invest in Immediate and Sustained Community Care

4. Taking It Forward: Sustaining Adult Wellbeing at School

TLA developed a 20-item survey based on a review of the literature related to adult wellbeing and input from a diverse focus group of district leaders. The instrument includes:

• 6 open response questions
• 14 multiple choice selection or likert scale questions