Principal Investigator: Jennifer Cavallari, Sc.D., CIH

Associate Professor, Division of Public Health Sciences, UConn Health

Project Period: 2021-2026

The Total Teacher Health (TTH) research project is a large and multi-phase research and intervention study focusing on the well-being of educators in the public education system.

The Total Teacher Health project seeks to reduce stress and improve well-being among educators. using our signature Total Worker Health® intervention program, the Healthy Workplace Participatory Program (HWPP), The TTH project involves several elements:

  • A research study within two school districts to measure associations between demands and resources and teacher mental well-being (e.g., perceived stress, depression, and anxiety symptoms).
  • A partnership with educators and schools in Connecticut to create the Educator Well-being Program Toolkit, an adaptation of the Healthy Workplace Participatory Program (HWPP) that fits within the context of public school systems.
  • Implementation and evaluation of the Educator Well-Being Program’s Learn, Plan, Improve process, within six elementary schools.

At the heart of the Educator Well-being Program is the Learn, Plan, Improve process, a collaborative process that engages employees throughout the school, including teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals, and additional school staff to improve and sustain educator wellbeing. In the Educator Well-being Program, collaboration occurs across three teams with the support of a facilitator:

  • Educator Design Team: A team of staff who works at regular intervals in a positive team environment and represents their peers to create meaningful change in their school.
  • Administrator Team: Building administrators whose role is to secure organizational resources to support workplace changes and to provide oversight once a solution activity is approved for implementation.
  • Implementation Team: School staff who coordinate and track implementation progress.
  • Facilitator: An individual trained to guide the teams through the process and encourage relationships through productive and respectful communication.

Learn, Plan, Improve Process:

The purpose of the Learn Stage is to understand the factors that impact educators' well-being. This is done by collecting data, identifying workplace strengths and concerns, and analyzing root causes of primary concerns. The TTH process utilizes the Educator Wellbeing Survey and Photovoice, a structured photo-journaling exercise, to understand educators’ needs related to health, safety, and well-being.

In the Plan Stage, the Educator Design Team develops goals and solution objectives that are supported by evidence-based activities informed by the information collected and developed in the Learn stage.

During the Improve Stage, the Implementation Team takes the lead, with the support of the Administrator Team, to implement, monitor, and evaluate the effectiveness of solution activities.

This study is led by UConn Health Associate Professor Jennifer Cavallari, ScD, with co-investigators Lisa Sanetti, Ph.D. from the UConn Neag School of Education and UConn Health Assistant Professor Alicia Dugan, PhD. For project inquiries, please contact Matt Brennan via email at: brennan@uchc.edu.

View any of the following materials to learn more about the TTH research project:

Videos / Podcasts:

Case Studies:

News Articles:

Other Resources:

  • ChildTrends Toolkit for School Systems: A toolkit that organized research-based information and practical tools in a user-friendly format that school systems to develop and implement a plan to advance the wellness of all school employees.