This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: An ongoing national teacher shortage has created a sense of urgency to better understand why educators choose to stay in their positions—and why they leave. Does support from administrative leadership help keep teachers in their jobs by making them feel safer and less stressed?
And when teachers experience violence from students in their classrooms, does it weaken the impact of that protective relationship? To find out, researchers analyzed 2020–21 national survey data on school violence from 5,550 pre-K through 12th-grade teachers. Conducted in collaboration with the American Psychological Association (APA)'s Task Force on Violence Against Teachers and School Personnel, the study was published recently in Educational Researcher.
Andrew Perry, a senior lecturer in educational studies at The Ohio State University, led the project alongside a research team that included co-author Eric Anderman, a professor of educational psychology and vice provost for regional campuses. They focused specifically on teachers' intentions to transfer or quit, noting that about one-third of educators who express a desire to leave actually follow through within the year. The researchers' definition of support centers on transparency and communication—such as teachers feeling safe and comfortable talking to principals about matters of discipline—and a general belief that school administrators will back up teachers when a disciplinary incident occurs.
They found that while supportive leadership is widely recognized as protective against teacher burnout, student-directed violence is a critical tipping point. In a sample in which 44% of educators reported experiencing student victimization and up to 80% faced verbal or threatening aggression, high levels of violence systematically weakened the protective benefits of principal support. These results did not surprise Perry.
"Our hypotheses were largely supported by the study. What we expected to find, we found," he said. "Support is beneficial and necessary, but not sufficient.
You have to have it, but in the face of victimization, support alone is not enough." Prior research shows that teachers who are on the front lines in schools are most susceptible to nonphysical violence from students—including verbal threats, obscene remarks and slurs. It's "a demoralizing, sobering day-to-day reality," Perry said. "If a teacher feels they are in an environment where this stuff is ignored, and they have nobody to turn to, it becomes toxic to their well-being, and they want to get away." Notably, elementary school teachers reported being victimized more often than their peers.
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