Empower Educators-DBT: A Program for Teacher Well-Being

Abstract

Teaching is a cornerstone of educational development and societal progress, with over 3.5 million educators in the United States shaping approximately 49.5 million students annually (American Institute for Economic Research, 2022). However, high rates of teacher turnover—approximately 300,000 annually—threaten the sustainability of this workforce, disproportionately affecting high-poverty districts and schools serving predominantly students of color (Callahan, 2016; Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2019). Workplace stressors, cited as the most common reason for turnover, contribute to burnout in 44% of teachers (Gallup, 2022), undermining teacher retention, student outcomes, and costing the U.S. education system an estimated $2 billion annually (Watlington et al., 2010).This dissertation outlines the development and pilot evaluation of the Empower Educators-DBT (EE-DBT) program, a novel 12-session intervention designed to reduce teacher stress and enhance self-efficacy, social-emotional competence, and critical consciousness. Grounded in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Positive Psychology, and Loving-Kindness Meditation, the program incorporates an anti-racist framework to promote teacher well-being. Using a mixed-methods design, the study assessed program feasibility, acceptability, and pre- and post-intervention changes among middle school teachers. Quantitative findings demonstrated significant reductions in stress (d = -1.55) with corresponding improvements in critical consciousness (d = 0.61) and DBT skills use (d = 0.46) and considerable variability based on demographic factors such as gender and parental status. Qualitative analysis demonstrated high acceptability and feasibility, with participants indicating real-world skill application both in the workplace and in personal life. These findings highlight the potential of a justice-centered framework for teacher well-being to enhance retention and foster equitable educational environments. This research adds to the emerging literature on adult social and emotional learning (SEL), teacher well-being, and sustainable programmatic interventions. Long-term impact and scalability of such models with different school settings are worthy of future research investigation.