Show Notes
Equity Leadership Now! hosts conversations with equity-conscious leaders from pre-K through university settings who transform structures and strategies for educating students, particularly for those who are marginalized.
In this episode of Equity Leadership Now!, host Dr. Jabari Mahiri speaks with Dr. Lora Bartlett, Associate Professor of Education at UC Santa Cruz, about the new book Going the Distance: The Teaching Profession in a Post-COVID World, co-authored with Allison Thompson, Judith Warren-Little, and Riley Collins. Dr. Bartlett highlights that the teaching profession was already in crisis before the pandemic and the arrival of COVID-19 acted as a form of "thermal shock," exposing the structural flaws already embedded in the educational system—similar to a cracked teapot shattered by hot water. She reframes the pandemic not as the crisis itself but as an event that revealed existing systemic vulnerabilities.
Dr. Bartlett shares more about the findings she and her colleagues present in the book from a longitudinal study of 75 teachers across nine U.S. states, tracked from Spring 2020 through late 2022, examining their professional experiences during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Their research revealed two dominant policy orientations among states: ‘Speed-and-Control States’ like Florida, Texas, and Iowa that sought centralized control over both pandemic responses and curricular content. On the other hand, the ‘Caution-and-Guidance States’ such as California, Oregon, New York, and Arizona, provided guidance rather than mandates, and many promoted equity-centered curriculum development rather than restricting content.
Bartlett shared that teacher satisfaction was less correlated with state policy and more with local working conditions. Teachers in all states reported positive experiences when supported by inclusive leadership, collaborative school cultures, and respect for teacher voice. Bartlett affirms the power of the local—asserting that even amidst national political instability or federal withdrawal of support, local leadership can shape teacher retention and satisfaction. In Florida, Texas, and Iowa, states characterized by high control and curriculum restrictions, 32% of sampled teachers left the profession. In California, Oregon, New York, Massachusetts, and Arizona—which emphasized caution and curricular autonomy, only 7% left.
A key theme throughout the conversation is “adaptive capacity,” which Bartlett defines as the ability of schools and educators to respond to unforeseen challenges in real-time. Drawing on examples from crisis theory and jazz improvisation, Dr. Bartlett explains that effective improvisation is essential in moments of uncertainty and it requires deep preparation, skill, and collaborative engagement. Adaptive capacity is not reactive passivity; rather, it is an empowered, informed responsiveness enabled by organizational structures that value professional autonomy and trust.
Ultimately, Bartlett argues for a paradigm shift that recognizes teachers as knowledgeable professionals capable of innovation and problem-solving. Creating conditions that support teacher improvisation, collaboration, and autonomy is not only necessary for navigating crises but also essential for sustaining the profession in a post-pandemic world.
