January 12, 2021
This 30-minute documentary explores how districts and schools can create supportive working environments for teachers. In this documentary, teacher working conditions are defined as school environmental factors that influence teacher job satisfaction. This documentary focuses on three elements of teacher working conditions: leading schools to success, empowering teachers through leadership, and creating meaningful professional development.
In the documentary, researchers Natalya Gnedko-Berry, PhD, REL Midwest; Matthew Clifford, PhD, American Institutes for Research (AIR); and Cortney Rowland, PhD, AIR, discuss the research on teacher working conditions and the vital role of school leaders. Lucy Steiner, senior vice president of professional learning and leadership at Public Impact, describes how schools and districts can improve their teacher leadership systems to ensure that teachers and students are supported. The program also features the perspectives of district leaders, school leaders, and teachers from Grant Public Schools and River Rouge School District in Michigan.
REL Midwest also produced a documentary viewing guide [418 KB
] that is available for download. To learn more about our work in this area, visit the Midwest Alliance to Improve Teacher Preparation webpage.