Lehmann co-authored the book with her colleague, Bill Barnes, superintendent of the Howard County Public School System in Maryland.

Originally from Rapid City, South Dakota, Lehmann earned four degrees from USD, including a B.S. in elementary education, an M.A. in curriculum and instruction, an Ed.S. in educational leadership and an Ed.D. in educational administration. She spent 20 years in PK-12 education as a teacher, instructional coach, curriculum specialist and principal before joining USD. She is now in her seventh year in educational leadership, where she works with future school and district leaders.

Erin Lehmann, Ed.D., poses for her headshot photo against a dark brown background. She is smiling at the camera and wearing a black blazer and pink shirt.

We sat down with Lehmann to learn more about her new book.

Where did you draw inspiration for “Leading Educator Wellness: 6 Critical Actions to Support All Staff”?

We were inspired by the work of Tim Kanold and Tina Boogren and their book, “Educator Wellness.” We deeply respect the foundation they laid around individual wellness. But as school and district leaders, Bill and I knew that for this work to truly take hold, it had to be approached from a systems perspective.

Wellness cannot live as a side initiative; it must be embedded into how schools operate. If we want students to thrive, we must take care of the educators who take care of them. Educators matter. Their well-being matters, and leadership plays a critical role in that.

Define the “6 Critical Actions to Support All Staff.” Of the six, which ones do leaders most often underestimate and why?

In “Leading Educator Wellness,” we outline six critical actions to help leaders intentionally build systems that support staff wellbeing:

  • Action 1: Engage in Purposeful Self-Care
  • Action 2: Implementing a Common Vision
  • Action 3: Conducting a Needs Assessment
  • Action 4: Set Goals and Plan Actions
  • Action 5: Design and Facilitate Professional Learning
  • Action 6: Monitor Progress and Sustain the Work

The book is organized into three sections:

  • Section 1: Personal Leadership Wellness (Action 1)
  • Section 2: Vision and Assessing Current Conditions (Action 2 to 3)
  • Section 3: Implementation and Sustainability (Actions 4 to 6)

The action leaders most often underestimate is Action 1: Engage in Purposeful Self-Care. In education, we often hear the phrase, “Unregulated adults cannot help a child regulate their emotions.” The same is true for leadership. Unregulated leaders cannot effectively support overwhelmed educators. Leaders must be intentional about their own wellness, not as a luxury, but as a responsibility. When leaders model healthy boundaries and regulation, it sets the tone for the entire organization.

How can schools embed these actions into daily practice?

It starts with listening. Leaders should engage staff in open conversations about stress levels, morale, engagement and overall well-being. Look at real indicators such as attendance, retention, morale data and even worker compensation claims. From there, build a wellness team and integrate the findings into your existing school improvement process. This isn’t about adding more work. It’s about embedding wellness into the work already being done. Wellness becomes sustainable when it is part of strategic planning and not an add-on.

How does educator wellness directly impact student learning and school culture?

Wellness is not about one-time events like massage chairs, catered lunches or a single “wellness day.” Those gestures are kind, but they do not change culture. True wellness is about creating an environment where educators feel supported, valued and able to grow. Research shows that when leaders prioritize teacher well-being, teachers demonstrate higher engagement and instructional quality, which are positively associated with student outcomes (Granziera et al., 2023).

Organizations like CASEL (2020) also emphasize that adult social-emotional health influences school climate and student success. When educators are supported, students feel it. Engagement improves. Culture stabilizes. Learning strengthens. Supporting educator wellness is not separate from student achievement—it is connected to it.

What early indicators suggest that a school’s wellness efforts are actually working?

You can feel it. You see educators who want to be there. You notice more collaboration and less isolation. Staff meetings feel productive rather than draining. There’s laughter in the hallways. You also see practical indicators such as reduced absenteeism, improved retention, higher staff engagement and increased professional trust. And yes, laughter matters! When adults are laughing and enjoying their work, that tells you something important about the culture.

What advice would you give leaders who feel constrained by time, budgets or policy?

This is a very real concern. That’s why we structured the book around the school improvement planning process. We are not asking leaders to add another initiative. Instead, we suggest layering wellness into the improvement work already underway. Wellness doesn’t always require more money. Often, it requires clearer communication, intentional leadership behaviors and better alignment of priorities. Small, consistent actions embedded into existing systems make the greatest difference.

If readers take away just one mindset shift from the book, what do you hope it is?

Wellness is not a “nice extra.” It is a leadership responsibility. Poorly designed systems create chronic stress, which leads to burnout and ultimately pushes educators out of the profession. When wellness is intentionally integrated into improvement planning, schools become healthier, more stable places to work and the students benefit. If a leader is new to this work, I hope they give themselves grace. This is progress, not perfection. Sustainable change happens step by step.

How has USD encouraged or enabled you to pursue this work through professional development, flexibility or leadership support?

USD has provided opportunities for scholarship, writing and conference engagement, which allowed this work to develop. The flexibility inherent in higher education, particularly around research and writing, created the space for this book to come to life.

In addition to researching and writing about educator wellness, I also present on this topic across the state and nationally. My role at USD has afforded me those opportunities. Working with doctoral students and leadership cohorts has also allowed me to test and refine these ideas in real time. That practical application has been incredibly valuable.

How does working at USD influence your optimism about what’s possible for educator wellness at a systems level?

Working within a university setting has reinforced how complex systems can be, but it has also shown me that change is possible when leaders are intentional. I remain optimistic because I see educators who care deeply about their work. When institutions commit to aligning leadership behaviors, communication structures and improvement planning with wellness principles, meaningful progress can happen. That gives me hope.

References:

Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). (2020). Reunite, renew, and thrive: Social and emotional learning (SEL) roadmap for reopening school.

Granziera, H., Martin, A. J. & Collie, R. J. (2023). Teacher well-being and student achievement: A multilevel analysis. Social Psychology of Education, 26(2), 279–291.

Press Contact
Alissa Matt
Contact Email [email protected]
Contact Website website

You May Also Like