A Year After School Reopening, Demands On Teachers Couldn’t Be Higher

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In the 2021–2022 academic year, the first year after schools re-opened fully, one-third (31%) of 3rd grade teachers in Tulsa, OK rated their stress level as being 10 out of 10. Only 8% said their stress was this high the year before COVID.

Also during the 2021–2022 school year…

• Teachers reported, on average, that 57% of their students were below grade level.
• Teachers reported, on average, that 18% of their students had challenging behaviors.
• Nearly one-fifth (18%) of the children served by these teachers experienced the serious illness or death of a family member due to COVID.

While supporting children during this difficult time, teachers faced unpredictability and increased demands in the classroom…

• One-quarter (22%) of teachers said their whole class went remote or stayed home for a week or more.
• Nearly one-half (48%) of teachers never or rarely had a full class present during the year, making it difficult to support continued learning.
• One-quarter (25%) of teachers took on another class of students for a week or more because of other teachers’ absences and a lack of substitutes.

The dramatic impacts of COVID-19 on students and teachers are still evident as of the Spring of 2022. Now, more than ever, elementary school teachers need academic and mental health supports as they act as agents of recovery to bring their students back up to grade level and ensure their well-being.

More About Tulsa SEED

The Tulsa SEED Study enrolled children growing up in families with low incomes in the Tulsa Public School District at age 3 or 4 to examine the effects of public pre-K participation. We have followed these children, along with their parents and teachers, annually. Findings reported here are based on a teacher survey from Spring 2022, when children were in 3rd grade.

Suggested citation: Tulsa SEED Study Team. (2022). A year after school reopening, demands on teachers couldn’t be higher.

For media inquiries, contact Dr. Anna Johnson (anna.johnson@georgetown.edu), Dr. Deborah Phillips (dap4@georgetown.edu), or Dr. Diane Horm (dhorm@ou.edu).

Tulsa SEED is made possible through funding from the Heising-Simons Foundation, the George Kaiser Family Foundation, the University Strategic Organization Initiative at the University of Oklahoma, the Foundation for Child Development, the Spencer Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).