Giving Compass' Take:

• A new study highlighted at Futurity analyzes the negative impact of teachers' stress, which often results in student discipline and even increased dropout rates.

• How can we use the results of this study to create a better remote learning environment? How can we make sure teachers' stress doesn't result in inequitable outcomes for students in marginalized communities?

• Learn about one program aimed at mitigating teachers' stress.

There’s a link between teacher stress and higher risk of student suspensions, new research finds.

The study examines the effect of teacher burnout on student behavior and discipline issues.

Teacher stress can have a trickle-down effect on their students, leading to disruptive behavior that results in student suspensions.

One of those overburdened teachers is Jennifer Lloyd, a high school English teacher in Maryland and a graduate student at the University of Missouri. She has noticed how perceptive her students are to her mood and their ability to feed off of her energy, for better or worse.

“If I come into class from a rough meeting or a stressful morning and I bring those feelings into the classroom environment, the kids notice,” Lloyd says. “Sometimes they will give that negative energy right back to me, and we all end up having a bad day.”

To examine the effect of teacher burnout on student behavior outcomes, Lloyd’s sister, Colleen Eddy, a doctoral student in the College of Education, and her colleagues with the Missouri Prevention Science Institute, conducted teacher surveys and classroom observations in nine Missouri elementary schools.

They found when teachers are highly stressed and emotionally exhausted, students in their classrooms are at a higher risk of being suspended or disciplined by school administrators.

“Removing students from the classroom environment as a form of punishment can be really harmful, as research has shown it not only reduces student achievement but also increases the risk of dropout,” Eddy says.

Read the full article about the effects of teachers' stress by Brian Consiglio at Futurity.