During the COVID-19 pandemic, educators reported widespread impacts across psychological, physical, social, and occupational health domains, with key systemic findings including lack of decision-making agency, increased stress and isolation, and feeling their concerns were not heard by administration.
Educators reported substantial increases in feelings of isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Educators reported significant increases in stress during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Educators experienced increased occupational burdens, including greater workplace responsibility.
A substantial proportion of educators reported that their concerns were not heard by building- or district-level administration.
A key systemic-level finding was educators reporting a lack of decision-making agency within the workplace.
This research surveyed 918 educators across the United States in late 2020 to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic affected their health and work lives. The study found that nearly half of educators (45.9%) felt more isolated, more than a third (38.0%) experienced increased stress, and about a third (34.0%) took on more responsibilities at work. Additionally, over a quarter of educators (28.2%) felt that when they raised concerns with school or district administrators, their voices went unheard. Beyond these individual experiences, the study identified a broader systemic problem: educators felt they lacked meaningful agency in decisions being made about their workplaces during the pandemic. This sense of powerlessness compounded the other health challenges they were facing at a time when their roles were becoming more demanding and their environments more stressful. This research suggests that the well-being of educators is not just a personal concern but a community concern, since educators shape both the students they teach and the broader communities in which they work. The findings point to the potential value of involving educators more directly in decision-making processes at the school and district levels, particularly during crises, as a way to support their mental health and sense of professional empowerment.
Carlson A, Sirotiak Z, Orellana S, Thomas E. (2026). Educating during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Educator Perspective on Mental Health.. Disaster medicine and public health preparedness. https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2026.10334