#191: How to Collect Data on Teacher Well Being Artwork

Coaching the Whole Educator

Coaching the Whole Educator is a podcast for instructional coaches, teacher leaders, and school leaders who want to strengthen their educators’ effectiveness and resilience, especially the ones who need it most. Each week, you’ll hear quick tips, proven strategies, and coaching mindsets designed to keep you on top of your coaching game.

This show is rooted in a human-centered approach, where we get things done through people’s humanity, not around it. Whether you’re new to instructional coaching or a seasoned instructional coach or leader looking for fresh perspective, you’ll learn how to focus on the mindsets and motivations driving unproductive behaviors. By getting to the root of resistance, you’ll discover how to build stronger relationships, lead with clarity, and create lasting impact in your school.

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Coaching the Whole Educator

#191: How to Collect Data on Teacher Well Being

May 31, 2026 • Season 4 • Episode 191

0:00 | 23:18

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In this episode, Becca sits down with Jessica Werner, founder of North Shore Learning, to unpack a hard truth in schools: many leaders believe they understand staff well-being, but are relying on assumptions instead of real data.

Together, they explore how well-being, retention, and leadership decisions are deeply connected and why anecdotal signals like “people seem happy” or “no one is in crisis” are not enough to guide action.

Jessica shares how collecting simple, meaningful data can help leaders identify what is actually impacting teacher satisfaction, workload, and long-term retention. The conversation highlights how proactive support, rather than reactive responses, can reduce burnout and turnover while strengthening school culture.

They also discuss how schools with stronger retention intentionally pair every new initiative with a support plan, recognizing that added expectations without support erode well-being over time.

In this episode:

• Why leaders often misread staff well-being without data
• The difference between anecdotal impressions and actionable insights
• Simple ways to start gathering meaningful well-being data immediately
• How attendance patterns, workload, and informal check-ins reveal hidden trends
• Why every initiative should include a parallel plan for teacher support
• The financial and cultural cost of reactive turnover versus proactive retention
• How acknowledging teachers’ full lives outside of school shapes morale and sustainability

The core message: well-being is not a single program or strategy. It is a set of conditions that can be measured, supported, and strengthened when leaders shift from assumptions to data-informed action.

Learn more about Jessica & Northshore Learning at northshorelearning.org, the place where school support meets real classroom impact.

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