However, Relay Lab school leaders were concerned about the impact of the changes on teachers' well-being. Which elements of Relay Lab Schools' organizational structure do teachers believe contribute to their well-being? The highest indicator of well-being for teachers at Relay Lab schools was a sense of meaning, a finding replicated in teacher interviews.
Reframe existing changes at Relay Lab Schools to align with the goals that matter. Currently, Relay Lab Schools operates two public schools in San Antonio, Ogden Academy and Storm Elementary. Which elements of the organizational structure of the Relay Lab Schools contribute to their well-being according to teachers?
The survey informed project question #1: To what extent do teachers at Relay Lab schools report healthy well-being. The Workplace PERMA Profiler focused on investigating project question #1: To what extent do teachers at Relay Lab schools report healthy well-being.
The highest wellbeing indicator for teachers at Relay Lab Schools was a sense of meaning, a finding reiterated in the teacher interviews
The Workplace PERMA Profiler survey and teacher interviews show that the healthiest well-being indicators for teachers at Relay Lab Schools were those of meaning and relationships. These findings, described in more detail below (finding #1 and #2), correspond to project question #1: To what extent do teachers in Relay Lab Schools report healthy well-being. Positive emotions and performance were the lowest scoring well-being indicators in the Relay Lab schools in the Workplace PERMA Profiler survey.
The interviews with teachers provided deeper insights. find #3, #4, and #5) related to these scores and match project question #2: What elements of the Relay Lab schools' organizational structure do teachers see as contributing to their well-being. Every Relay Lab School teacher expressed the sentiment that their students' success gave them a sense of meaning that positively impacted their well-being. I want to see them succeed; I don't want them to struggle like I struggled in my life." Several teachers expressed this sentiment throughout the interviews, noting that the best part of their day at Relay Lab schools was working with their students.
One such teacher expressed the sense of meaning felt with your students by saying, “The best part of my day is when I am with the students and they are engaged in their learning.” I really feel like this is a really powerful moment where you can feel like you're making a difference in their lives.” In addition to making a difference in the lives of their students, teachers at Relay Lab Schools also felt that improving the status of the school by removing it from the 'Improvement Required' list was a key goal of their work.
One teacher admitted, "One of the biggest pushes for me to work at Relay Lab Schools was the need. I have no problem with that." Other teachers spoke enthusiastically about speaking up for their students, as one such teacher articulated. It doesn't guarantee that changes will happen, but at least we know that we're pushing back that we're doing it with this intention of giving the kids something better.
Teachers' beliefs in Relay Lab Schools that they were advocating for what was best for their students and the school community brought a greater sense of meaning to their work and therefore positively affected their well-being.
Positive relationships with school-based co-workers was a positive indicator of healthy wellbeing for teachers at Relay Lab Schools who participated in the interviews
I can express any concern and they will listen." Teachers at both Ogden Academy and Storm Elementary reported that the customized investment in students creates a strong connection between teachers. I feel like many of the teachers, they really care about the kids, and we're all kind of single-minded in those goals." Another teacher shared a similar sentiment, explaining, "I don't feel like there's any teacher here trying to be the best and just leave everyone in the dust. They're all for one and one for all, for the benefit of our students.”.
While teachers at both Ogden Academy and Storm Elementary spoke positively about the impact of their relationships with other teachers on their well-being, teachers consistently indicated that references to positive relationships were almost entirely about other teachers and not school administrators. I don't have a close relationship with her, but a positive one." Another teacher said: “I don't feel uncomfortable talking to my principal. I don't feel uncomfortable talking to my coach." Although I have heard many similar comments, this same teacher above also suggested that some teachers feel differently about school administrators.
32 Finding 3: The teachers at Relay Lab Schools who participated in the interviews reported that the coaching structure negatively affects the well-being indicators of relationships and. While some teachers at Relay Lab Schools expressed a cordial relationship with the school administration, they noted that the coaching structure is limited to a defined structure, with some coaches reading from a script during their coaching sessions, which they indicated hindered their growth as a teacher. I feel like there are some coaches who are really invested in your development in a real way, and then I feel like there are some coaches who are invested in your development in the relay way, and you can tell the difference between coaches , who just reads verbatim. from the manuscript.
Another such teacher expressed a similar sentiment regarding coaches' inability to deviate from Relay Lab School's prescribed way of doing things. 33 teacher interviews suggested that the overly structured coaching sessions and limited frequency of coaching hindered their ability to build authentic relationships with their coaches. Coaches come in for 10 or 15 minutes, we'll have a discussion about what they saw, but that's it.
Another such teacher shared this sentiment in reference to the "scripted" nature of coaching at Relay Lab Schools admitting,.
Teachers at Relay Lab Schools report that lack of autonomy with curriculum and instruction negatively impacted their sense of accomplishment
In my eyes, coaching should be an understanding of who I am as a person, who I am as a teacher, and what challenges I have in my classroom, and such relationships are not built in 10 or 15 minute sessions. 34 The Relay Texas team had almost complete oversight of our campus and it was like we couldn't deviate from the curriculum at all. Another such teacher reported, “So our curriculum, in my opinion, is not super appropriate for the development of kindergarten students.
As one such teacher said, referring to the curriculum, "That's not what my students need. My kids can't read, and they want them to be able to understand these books when they can't read words , and they can't read vowel sounds." Similarly, teachers described a lack of autonomy to deliver small group instruction to students, which they emphasized contributes to student success.
One such teacher explained, “Sometimes I feel like there is a lack of autonomy in the classrooms. I don't have the authority to say I'm going to change my math block and I want to do small group instruction half the time.” It can be done. 35 students are and know what they need help with." Therefore, teachers' inability to make decisions regarding their instruction hindered the most meaningful aspect of teachers' work, which is seeing students grow and learn.
However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers had more autonomy than usual in this area and they see this change as a positive change. I was also able to do a lot of teaching like my small groups and provide those interventions for my kids that I knew they needed. I think this is important because even though we want to approximate as a grade level, each grade has different needs based on its student population.
I think that was a good thing about this year, just that we had the teacher's autonomy in teaching.
Teachers described a lack of clarity regarding the changes at Relay Lab Schools as having a negative impact on their wellbeing
36 However, during that same interview, the teacher discussed the changes that were occurring at the Relay Lab schools without any substantiation. I really don't know how the structure works, but like Relay Lab, Schools emerged from the Grad School.”. Teachers at Relay Lab Schools added that it was not just a lack of reason for change, but also the pace of change that contributed to frustration.
Regardless of the level of understanding about the structure of the Relay Lab Schools, constant change without clarity or rationale was a constant theme. Recommendation #1: Reframe existing changes in Relay Lab Schools to align with goals that are relevant to teacher understanding. If teachers in Relay Lab Schools are able to see the connection between changes in the organization and their larger purpose, then they can invest in the changes while also increasing their well-being.
However, teachers in the Relay Lab Schools not only lacked clarity about the changes in the organization, but they also perceived some of the changes as contradictory to their efforts to support success and the success of their students. This study found that teachers in Relay Lab Schools perceived changes, such as curriculum, as a barrier to student success. For changes that Relay Lab Schools want to test, allow teachers to volunteer to pilot the changes using PDSA cycles.
Teachers at Relay Lab Schools already trust each other, which allows them to collaborate as a pilot group can. Because teachers at Relay Lab Schools are not convinced that the changes have been beneficial for students and their schools are being removed from the. Relay Lab schools can engage teachers in solutions by involving them in the change process in a way that not only provides value.
Finding three indicated that teachers at Relay Lab Schools who participated in the interviews reported that the coaching structure had a negative impact on their relationship and performance well-being elements. The stakeholders that should be involved in the evaluation include teachers, coaches, school principals and relay lab school management. Further examination of the coaching program at Relay Lab Schools with an external program evaluation may help determine specific ways to incorporate practices that help teachers meet their need to feel a sense of accomplishment and positive relationships with their coaches.
