On this episode of Working Well we speak with Dr. Patricia Jennings, Professor of Education, from the University of Virginia, an internationally recognized researcher and leader in the fields of social and emotional learning and mindfulness. Jennings spent more than 22 years as a teacher, school director, and teacher educator, and is the author of numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and chapters and several books. She talks with NCSSLE Training Specialist Melanie Goodman about improving the profession of teaching, and how implementing changes at a systems level can have a profound impact on the well-being of educators. They also discuss how teacher autonomy and self-determination connect to well-being–what we are learning, future directions, and thoughts on how systems might innovate and evolve to create conditions where students and educators can thrive.

0:44 - Introduction

1:27 - Teacher Burnout and Staff Well-being

3:24 - Current system interferences with the learning process

4:24 - How research contributes to this need

6:11 - Reasons teachers may be leaving profession

7:28 - What the research shows about giving more autonomy in learning environments

11:27 - Innovations continuing post-pandemic

13:02 - What school systems can do right now to continue these promising approaches

16:58 - Obstacles to these approaches

19:01 - Variables that school leaders can look to reform within the system

23:30 - Closing

Working Well is brought to you by the National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments at the American Institutes for Research. This podcast is funded by the US Department of Education. If you'd like to learn more about NCSSLE, visit safesupportivelearning.ed.gov. For all questions or feedback, you can email us at NCSSLE@air.org.

Thanks for listening. Please note, the contents of this podcast do not necessarily represent the policy or views of the US Department of Education, nor does it imply endorsement by the US Department of Education.