Teachers Spend Eight Hours a Week Supporting Student Well-Being

Nearly all K–12 public school teachers provide supports for students' mental health and well-being, but many say the work has become more difficult, adding to the emotional demands of their jobs, according to a new RAND report.

The report, Difficulty Supporting Student Mental Health Strains Teacher Well-Being, is based on the 2026 State of the American Teacher Survey, a nationally representative survey of 829 K–12 public school teachers conducted from January to February 2026.

Teachers who said providing support had become harder were more likely to report indicators of poor well-being, including frequent job-related stress, difficulty coping with stress, symptoms of depression, and burnout.

“In addition to the enormous task of educating young people, teachers are increasingly providing support for students' mental health and well-being,” said Ashley Woo, an associate policy researcher at RAND and lead author of the report. “They need resources and partnerships that help them meet those needs without carrying the responsibility alone.”

Teachers spent an average of about eight hours per week providing student behavior or mental health supports—17% of their total working hours. Nearly all teachers surveyed said they provided at least one type of student mental health or well-being support during the 2025–26 school year, such as checking in on students, collaborating with counselors or social workers, or helping students navigate personal challenges.

Teachers who frequently provided more mental health support to students were more likely to report high emotional costs from teaching: 62% compared with 38% of teachers who did not frequently provide any supports.

The report also found student well-being challenges are widespread. More than 90% of teachers said their schools faced at least one challenge affecting student well-being; teachers most commonly identified student apathy, lack of preparedness to learn, lack of parental involvement, and student absenteeism as serious problems. Half said it had become harder to provide support since fall 2024, citing limited school resources, economic hardship among families, and a divisive political climate.

High school teachers both reported more student well-being challenges and were also less likely than elementary teachers to provide regular mental health supports. Fifty-nine percent said their schools had five or more moderate or serious challenges, compared with 42% of elementary teachers, while 24% did not provide any of the surveyed supports weekly, compared with 9% of elementary teachers. The report recommends that mental and behavioral health program providers develop more adolescent-specific resources and curricula for secondary teachers.

The report also recommends that districts consider ways to connect students and families with integrated services, such as mental health care, food assistance, and housing support. Strategies to provide wraparound supports (e.g., through community schools) could help address barriers to learning while reducing the burden on individual teachers.

“The challenge is that teachers say students need more mental health supports and are trying to provide them amid limited resources and a growing set of challenges,” said Elizabeth D. Steiner, a RAND senior policy researcher and coauthor of the report. “Schools can ease this strain by connecting students and families with counselors, social workers, and community services that teachers cannot provide on their own.”

The research was funded by the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers. Additionally, Sy Doan is a co-author on the report.

This work was conducted in the Education and Employment program of RAND Education, Employment and Infrastructure, a division of RAND that aims to improve educational opportunity, economic prosperity, and civic life for all.