Addressing Burnout and Boosting Success: An Interview with Thriving Students Collective’s CEO, Sarah Hauser, and Founder, Dr. Rebecca Branstetter
In today’s educational landscape, where the pressures on both students and educators are higher than ever, Thriving Students Collective is making a difference. We recently spoke with their CEO, Sarah Hauser, and Founder, Dr. Rebecca Branstetter, to discuss their mission to address the dual challenges of educator burnout and student success. Thriving Students Collective is creating holistic solutions that support teachers and students by focusing on the interconnected nature of these issues. Read on to learn how their innovative approach is making a lasting impact in schools and helping to build a more resilient educational system.
What specific educational challenges or issues does Thriving Students primarily aim to address in schools?
Rebecca: Thriving Students is focused on addressing a two-fold challenge: the increasing needs of students and the limited capacity of K12 educators and mental health providers to meet these needs. Since the pandemic, mental health issues, learning differences, and the need for support for kids with disabilities have become more pronounced. At the same time, we are seeing rising rates of educator burnout, teachers leaving the profession, and shortages of mental health providers like school psychologists, social workers, and counselors. This combination creates a critical situation where students need more help, but fewer resources and personnel are available to provide that help.
What unique benefits arise from addressing both educator burnout and student success simultaneously?
Rebecca: When addressing educator burnout and student success simultaneously, Thriving Students recognizes the interconnected nature of these challenges in education. Often, initiatives in education operate in silos, focusing separately on teacher wellness or student learning needs. However, Thriving Students takes a holistic approach by acknowledging that supporting educators directly impacts student outcomes. Teachers today face multiple challenges exacerbated by increasing student needs, including learning differences and mental health issues. Many educators find themselves assuming roles beyond traditional teaching, such as supporting neurodivergent students and serving as first-line responders to mental health crises. Without adequate training and support, this can lead to burnout and reduced effectiveness in the classroom. By providing comprehensive support that includes training on neurodiversity and mental health management, Thriving Students aims to reduce educator stress and enhance their ability to meet diverse student needs effectively. Moreover, by addressing the shortages of mental health professionals in schools, the program ensures that educators receive the support necessary to thrive in their roles. Ultimately, Thriving Students promotes a community care approach over individual self-care solutions, recognizing that systemic support and training are crucial for both educators and students to succeed. This integrated approach not only alleviates burnout among educators but also improves educational outcomes by fostering a supportive environment where both educators and students can thrive together.
Drawing from your experience and background, how does your expertise inform and help create strategies to prevent and understand teacher burnout? How does your experience provide insight to Thriving Students?
Sarah: My expertise comes from three key areas that deeply inform our work at Thriving Students. First, as a neurodivergent person and a mother of three neurodivergent kids, I understand the challenges teachers face in supporting diverse learners. This experience drives me to create tools that truly help educators succeed with all students.
Second, my master’s in education and student teaching gave me hands-on knowledge of what works in the classroom. I know the daily struggles teachers encounter, and I’m focused on providing practical, real-world solutions.
Finally, with over 20 years in education and EdTech, I’ve seen how technology can either add to or reduce burnout. I use that insight to ensure our resources make teachers’ lives easier, not harder. Together, these experiences fuel my passion for reducing teacher burnout and supporting educators in meaningful ways.
Rebecca: My career as a school psychologist in a large urban district exposed me to the profound challenges of educator burnout and student needs. With a caseload of 3000 students, I witnessed firsthand how systemic issues contribute to burnout, despite my best efforts to support students. This experience repeated as I transitioned between districts, highlighting the widespread nature of these challenges.
Throughout my career, I focused on systemic solutions, advocating for multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) that address not only student interventions but also the foundational support needed for educators. I realized early on that scaling expertise was crucial. This led me to develop online courses and utilize educational technology to disseminate knowledge widely, empowering educators and stakeholders with essential skills to support students with diverse needs. In 2017, I launched an online course platform to connect educators with a network of school psychologists, facilitating ongoing professional development and support. This approach aimed to alleviate individual educator burdens and foster a community-driven approach to education.
My experience informs Thriving Students by emphasizing the systemic nature of burnout and the importance of scalable, community-based solutions. By addressing the root causes of burnout and equipping educators with the tools to support diverse student needs effectively, Thriving Students aims to create sustainable strategies that enhance educator well-being and student success.
What key performance indicators or metrics does Thriving Students use to measure its impact and success within schools?
Rebecca: Our approach to measuring efficacy and impact draws from my academic background, including graduating from UC Berkeley and conducting action research in education. We prioritize two key metrics. Firstly, we conduct a comprehensive assessment of educator burnout across all school personnel, not solely teachers. This evaluation focuses on reducing burnout and stress levels, critical indicators of retention, and overall support within the school community. Secondly, we measure the ‘thrive ratio,’ a statistical gauge of how much of an educator’s day is spent in a state of flow, using their strengths and enjoying their work. This metric provides valuable insights into educator well-being and job satisfaction.
Additionally, we assess teacher efficacy and the effectiveness of mental health providers. Research from the National Council of Learning Disabilities highlights that only 17% of general education teachers feel adequately prepared to handle mild disabilities in their classrooms, revealing a pressing need to enhance educator efficacy universally. A significant measure of our success lies in fostering collective teacher self-advocacy — the belief among educators that they can effectively teach every student, including those with special educational needs. This empowerment significantly correlates with improved student achievement outcomes.
In summary, our strategy focuses on reducing burnout, enhancing efficacy, and cultivating a supportive environment that promotes both educator well-being and student success within educational settings.
Where do you see Thriving Students in the short-term future and the long-term future following the accelerator?
Sarah: When districts understand what we have, they are very, very interested. As a result, we have been experiencing almost explosive growth (and mostly not from stimulus dollars). In the short term, Thriving Students will focus on expanding the distribution of its products and services. The immediate goal is to leverage partnerships to cross-sell and rapidly grow the customer base. The team is working intensely to implement an ambitious product roadmap, which will significantly expand the company’s Total Addressable Market (TAM).
In the longer term, we are very excited to drive a number of AI-based productivity tools into our system. We also believe that our focused, just-in-time, science-based professional development will become an important new norm. So the focus will continue to be on scaling both innovation and operations and also optimizing the new partnerships.
Rebecca: In the short term, our focus is on expanding our impact to reach more students and school districts. Currently, we have a strong user base among school psychologists, special educators, and those involved in the IEP process. However, our mission extends beyond specialized education settings — we aim to provide crucial support to general education teachers who often face significant challenges in supporting neurodivergent students. By addressing educator burnout across all sectors and enhancing support for these educators, we believe we can make a meaningful impact on student outcomes.
Looking to the long term, our vision is to revolutionize professional development in education. Traditional professional development often receives mixed reviews from educators, seen as static and minimally relevant to their daily practice. Our goal is to leverage technology to create a dynamic and personalized learning experience for educators and administrators. This means shifting away from one-size-fits-all approaches to differentiated learning paths tailored to individual needs and interests. By integrating engaging and relevant content into professional development, delivered in short, digestible formats, we aim to make learning enjoyable and effective. Ultimately, we envision professional development that is accessible, timely, and embedded into the daily practice of educators, fostering continuous growth and sustainability in educational settings.
Learn more at Thriving Students Collective’s website here.
