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Effective principals are critical for improving student achievement, but they face numerous challenges in their jobs. Research suggests that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has likely exacerbated the job-related stress that principals experience. Thus, there is an urgent need to understand the job-related stressors that principals face. Understanding principals' views on this topic at a national level can help policymakers and education leaders identify ways to support principal wellness; reduce job-related stress; and improve job satisfaction, performance, and retention. In this Data Note, the authors use nationally representative data from the 2021 Learn Together Surveys (LTS) to examine the state of secondary principals' well-being and job-related stressors one year into the COVID-19 pandemic. Twice as many principals as employed U.S. adults experienced frequent job-related stress during this time. Drawing on LTS responses from 1,686 secondary principals, the authors explore how the frequency of job-related stress varies across different principal characteristics, such as experience, race/ethnicity, and gender, and school contexts, such as student populations served, school size, and locale (city, suburban, and town/rural). The authors also examine how principals' job-related stressors are associated with their schools' mode of instruction. They recommend strategies to encourage state and local policymakers to consider principals' well-being and take steps to mitigate job-related stressors now and in the long term.

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In 2023, California will implement a new statewide math framework that will drive curriculum decisions and pedagogical approaches for years to come. Although the state's content standards for mathematics are not changing, a statewide framework could nevertheless shift instruction by providing educators with guidance on how to implement content standards. Such guidance could describe the kinds of instruction, instructional materials, and professional development that would support successful implementation of standards-based instruction. Districts, schools, and teachers may require numerous coordinated supports to implement the framework's relatively novel priorities, including guidance on curriculum material selection and adoption, professional learning, and teacher preparation. RAND researchers draw on two teacher surveys, the 2022 Learn Together Survey (LTS) and the 2022 American Instructional Resources Survey (AIRS). Both surveys draw on RAND's American Teacher Panel, which is a nationally representative sample of more than 22,000 teachers across the United States. The researchers leveraged data collected from math teachers in California to paint a picture of math instruction throughout the state. These data illuminate ways in which state and local education leaders can foster equitable instruction in the context of the state's new framework.

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Although well-being appears to have improved for many public school teachers of kindergarten to grade 12 (K–12) since the beginning of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, in some states, more teachers left their jobs at the end of the 2021–2022 school year than in the two previous school years and at rates higher than prepandemic averages. When teachers leave their jobs, student achievement can suffer, and the cost of replacing teachers can be high. The authors describe the roles that salary and work hours play in teachers' intentions to leave their jobs and how these factors relate to teacher well-being. The research indicates that teacher dissatisfaction with hours worked, salary, and working conditions appears to drive poor well-being and lead teachers to consider leaving their jobs. In addition, recent gains in racial and ethnic diversity in the teacher workforce could be in jeopardy because Black teachers were more likely to consider leaving their jobs than White teachers were; many cited low pay as their top reason. The authors recommend increasing teacher pay, reducing hours worked, and improving working conditions to boost teacher retention.

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In the wake of the protests against and attention to racial injustice sparked by the murders of George Floyd and others, there has been a renewed call for the education system to address systemic racism and racial inequities. At the same time, many states have started passing or considering laws limiting discussions of racism, sexism, and bias within their classrooms. However, a large body of research demonstrates that teaching students explicitly about issues of identity, diversity, equity, and bias—sometimes referred to as anti-bias education—can lead to positive academic, attitudinal, and behavioral outcomes. RAND researchers leverage nationally representative survey data of kindergarten through 12th grade (K–12) public school teachers to examine whether teachers report providing anti-bias education and what anti-bias education looks like in K–12 schools. Anti-bias education was defined in the survey as "an approach to education that emphasizes the development of students' positive social identities and fosters their comfort and respect for all dimensions of diversity … it is also intended to raise their awareness of and promote their capacity to act against bias and injustice." The researchers examine which teachers engage in anti-bias education, the types of instructional materials that teachers use for anti-bias education, and the various factors that might be related to teachers' provision of anti-bias education, including their beliefs, feelings of preparedness, professional learning opportunities, and teacher preparation experiences.

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This Data Note adds new insights from English language arts (ELA), math, and science teachers on their use of digital materials. Drawing on data from the spring 2019 American Instructional Resources Survey, researchers share the digital materials that ELA, math, and science teachers across the United States reported using regularly for instruction during the 2018–2019 school year. In addition to identifying the most commonly used digital instructional materials, researchers examine how teachers' use of these materials compares with their use of comprehensive curriculum materials, as well as teacher-reported barriers to digital material use. Finally, researchers explore several hypotheses regarding factors that might influence digital material use.