Action Research Project Presentation:

Supporting Staff
and Teachers
Presented by: Alexandra, Arantxa, Karla, Kendra, Raquel
 Summary of Program Plan

An anonymous survey was administered with the intent of

understanding the depth of pandemic-related trauma in the school
community in order to help plan the supports needed upon school
re-entry. To address this, the PBIS team is suggesting the following plan
to support the development of staff resilience:
● Celebrate individuals
● Community building
● Provide resources and access to mental health services
The expected positive outcomes include increasing staff resilience,
staff connectedness, and overall staff engagement.
 Why We Chose This Program

The topic of staff support is particularly critical during these unprecedented times

○ As school reentry begins, Whittier City School District is determined to respond

to staff needs and implement supports
■ Unique opportunity to help construct and contribute to this program before
it is implemented
○ Our group aims to build resilience, strengthen community, provide resources and
access to mental health resources, and increase connectedness and feelings of
appreciation among staff
 Demographics

● Approximately 92% of WCSD students are of Hispanic/Latino ethnic origin, 5% White

(Non-Hispanic), and 3% other ethnicities or multiple origins

● The Whittier City School District serves just over 6,000 students
○ 76.1% of whom are socioeconomically disadvantaged
○ 16.7% are identified as English Learners (ELs)
○ 13% of students are Students with Disabilities.

● Anonymous survey sent to all Whittier City School District staff

● 82 survey participants represented all WCSD sites (12 sites total)

● Over two thirds of respondents were classroom teachers

 Distribution of Responsibilities

● Lead MTSS Specialist

○ Send out survey

○ Present results to administrators, staff and teachers

○ Include results in PBIS Newsletter

● Staff and teachers

○ Provide feedback and input

● Administrators

○ Professional Development Scheduling

 Research Questions
The following research questions guided our evaluation process:

1. How are teachers and staff currently feeling in the midst of the pandemic?

2. What are other districts doing to support teachers and staff during the
pandemic?

3. What practices would bring us closer to the following targets: staff

resilience and community building?
 Summary of Data

● Survey data
● 82 respondents
○ 67.1% teachers
○ 18.3% classified staff
○ 14.6% administrators,
wellness team, or
other staff
Summary of Data
Summary of Data
 Visualization of Program Components
a. Visualization of your program components (refined graphic reconstruction can be used for this)
Key Findings
 Research Question #1: How are teachers and staff
currently feeling in the midst of the pandemic?
● Common Themes from Grief & Loss Survey:
○ “I feel very nervous/anxious and stressed about returning to in-person instruction”
○ “I feel so disconnected and unaware of what is going on in our school as a whole”
○ “I have never felt so undervalued as a human being and as a teacher”
○ “Please no more self care or telling us to do self care when we are loaded with
more work”
● Address the Stress (Helmke, 2020)
○ Stress surrounding health (classrooms, crowds, wellbeing of their families)
○ Lack of communication and respect
○ Feeling as though campus leaders may not understand their concerns or value their
personal safety
Research Question #2: What are other districts doing to
support teachers and staff during the pandemic?
● Other districts in the area have supported their teachers and staff in a variety of ways
● Reorganization of leadership (Anderson, 2020)
● Inclusive decision-making (Anderson, 2020)
● Professional development to build capacity (Anderson, 2020; Metcalfe & Perez, 2020)
● Consultation and collaboration with professional networks (Anderson, 2020; Green, Burrow, &
Carvalho, 2020; Metcalfe & Perez, 2020)

● Administrative support (Sokal, Trudel, & Babb, 2020)

● Strengthen relationships with students’ parents (Fontenelle-Tereshchuk, 2021; Sokal, Trudel, & Babb,
2020)

● Strengthen physical and emotional self-care practices (Sokal, Trudel, & Babb, 2020)
Research Question #3: What practices will bring us closer
to the following targets: staff and teacher resilience and
building community?
● Survey data
○ Staff and teachers have the option to share what would help to increase a
sense of community
○ Share what supports they feel are necessary to have their social emotional
needs met when they return to campus
○ Incorporate the results into summer professional development schedule
○ Use results to plan opportunities for community building throughout the
school year
 Recommendations
● Provide mental health services for staff to address the grief and stress of their occupations.
○ In addition, an outside agency/expert should facilitate a grief therapy group for those
who reported losing someone.
○ Give incentives such as stipends and “goodie bags” that contain relevant prizes like gift
cards to school supply places, items of self care (e.g. one free spa treatment, face masks,
etc.).
○ Professional Development that is on a monthly basis in which there is time dedicated to
writing “Thank you” notes to staff and time for them to read them.
○ Have a mandatory meeting in which the results of the survey are discussed with all school
workers.
■ Purpose: all staff contribute ideas to the needs of everyone; as opposed to a top
down type of leadership style.
(Anderson, 2020; Helmke, 2020 & Metcalfe & Perez, 2020)
 Action Plan
Community
● Send a survey to staff over the summer and have a
meeting to discuss the results. Engagement & Support
○ Give feedback to staff on how their concerns are
● Administrators should schedule check-ins with
being addressed.
employees to see how they are doing;
● Continue to send progress monitoring surveys to see
especially with those who are virtual.
what is working vs not working
● At meetings, encourage school staff to utilize
● Create a school mission statement that reflects
mental health services and promote those
everyone’s values.
services.
○ The promotion of these services can
Grief & Mental Health also be via e-mail or school assembly.
● There will be grief counseling available to all staff ● Create a specific date in which staff can share
who want to participate. their experiences in a restorative manner.
● The meetings will have a restorative practice structure ● Have an end of semester banquet in which
that will allow all attendees to participate, for teachers and staff will be given an award along
example people will sit in a circle. with students.
● Staff will be offered mental health services provided
through EASE.
● The meetings will have mindful exercises at the end.
 References
Anderson, J. (2020). School Leadership During Crisis. Interview with Harvard Professor
Deborah Jewell-Sherman. Harvard: Harvard EdCast. Retrieved from https://www. gse.
harvard. edu/news/20/04/harvard-edcast-school-leadership-during-crisis.

Fontenelle-Tereshchuk, D. (2021). Mental health and the COVID-19 crisis: The hopes and
concerns for children as schools reopen. Interchange, 52(1), 1-16.

Green, J.K., Burrow, M.S. & Carvalho, L. (2020). Designing for Transition: Supporting Teachers
and Students Cope with Emergency Remote Education. Postdigit Sci Educ 2, 906–922.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s42438-020-00185-6

Helmke, S. (2020). Address the stress: how leaders can support teachers in an extraordinary
Year. Learning Professional, 41 (5), 39-40.

Metcalfe, L. S., & Perez, I. (2020). Blinded by the unknown: A school’s leader’s authentic
actions to support teachers and students during COVID-19 school closures. Journal of
School Administration Research and Development, 5(S1), 49-54.

Sokal, L. J., Trudel, L. G. E., & Babb, J. C. (2020). Supporting Teachers in Times of Change: The
Job Demands-Resources Model and Teacher Burnout During the COVID-19 Pandemic.