The ECHO Model
Professional Development,
Prosocial Education Promotes Teacher Well-being and Reduces Burnout
Recent results from a randomized controlled trial demonstrate promise of a professional development (PD) model designed to increase equitable access to high-quality, research-based practice for enhancing teacher wellbeing (Brass et al., 2024). This innovative PD delivery model is relatively new to education, called ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes). It is a telementoring approach that has been used in the medical field for two decades (Arora et al., 2011). A team of researchers meets with a group of 10-50 teachers via zoom once a month over the school year. Sessions follow a proscribed format in which a brief didactic (~20 minutes) is provided by a research team member. Then (~40 minutes) are spent on an authentic case presented by a teacher regarding a challenge in their classroom. The entire group helps to problem-solve the case. The ECHO motto is “All Teach, All Learn” such that the expertise of researchers and practitioners is equally valued. Recommendations are shared with all participants, and case presenters are asked to share the next month whether they implemented any recommendation and how it worked. Successes are celebrated. The use of zoom makes access equitable even in remote or under resourced school districts.
Teachers randomly assigned to the ProsocialEd program reported significantly greater self-efficacy for managing peer relations (g [effect size] = .80), less burnout (g [effect size] = .59), and less desire to leave the profession (g [effect size] = .44) compared to teachers randomly assigned to the control group. In education, effect sizes are typically smaller than .20, which is considered a large effect (Kraft, 2020).
Why might teachers’ participation in ProsocialEd improve teacher well-being?
(1) Teachers formed a community of learners who bonded through shared challenges, which can build social support (Schonert-Reichl, 2017) that supports psychological adjustment (Zell & Stockus, 2025).
(2) Teachers develop confidence by serving as peer coping models as they talked through problems and solutions relevant to their classroom (Bandura, 1986).
(3) When teachers feel a positive attachment to their students, for example by practicing ProsocialEd strategies, they expend less energy on behavior management (Bergin & Bergin, 2009), which is a significant contributor to stress and burnout (Fernet et al., 2012).
Thinking of Joining?
ProsocialEd strategies were developed and studied by the nation’s premiere Prosocial Development & Education Research Lab at the University of Missouri (MU). Based on 50 years of developmental psychology research, we show that how adults interact with children influences their development of self-control, empathy, and prosocial behavior.
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