Educator Self-Efficacy in Tiered Systems: Theory and Practice

Educator wellbeing is promoted when school leaders communicate a clear and sustained vision and provide adequate resources and professional learning opportunities to achieve positive outcomes for students. In this chapter, we provide a theoretical foundation for educator self-efficacy and current empirical evidence exploring self-efficacy of educators who are working in schools implementing tiered systems. We begin with an overview of the theoretical and empirical literature on the importance of educator self-efficacy and wellbeing when engaging in systems efforts. Then, we provide a brief overview of tiered systems. Next, we provide a summary of research conducted to date that examined how teachers fare when working in tiered systems. Then, we discuss core features of tiered systems that promote educators’ wellbeing and minimize burnout. We conclude with considerations for educators engaging in system change to promote students’ educational outcomes.