“choice has made us not freer but more paralyzed, not happier but more dissatisfied.” Barry Schwartz
A troubling pattern has emerged in education: educators are being asked to continuously improve, innovate, and adapt their practices with little time to make change while not be given the time or resources to do so effectively. This contradiction has created an improvement paradox, where the very conditions necessary for meaningful professional growth are systematically undermined by the demands being placed upon teachers.
“the fact that some choice is good doesn’t necessarily mean that more choice is better.” Barry Schwartz
The Paradox of Choice
Today, teachers face an ever-increasing amount of choice. From the technological tools to the sheer volume of resources available, teachers are bombarded with choices. Along with this choice is a growing demand to do more and more. But more choice doesn’t mean better choice.
The Never-Ending Cycle of “More”
Educators face growing demand of expectations. New curriculum standards arrive annually, technology platforms require constant learning, differentiated instruction demands individualized approaches for every student, and data analysis has become a daily requirement rather than a periodic review. Each initiative arrives with a promise of improving student outcomes, yet none seem to account for the human cost of implementation. And there is a cost.
Teachers find themselves attending professional development sessions during their lunch breaks or in the evening, grading work for hours in the evening, and spending weekends creating lesson plans that incorporate the latest educational trend. The message is clear: improvement is non-negotiable. Yet, the time to implement it meaningfully appears to be non-existent. Demanding more be done with no meaningful change to the system means that teachers will need to find this time on their own.
The Myth of the “Free” Planning Period
Many educators have planning periods built into their schedules. However, these periods are often consumed by meetings, parent contacts, administrative tasks, or, with the growing lack of substitute teachers, covering for absent colleagues. The planning period that was meant to provide time for reflection, preparation, and doing work related to the classroom has instead become a frantic rush to complete “other” urgent tasks. Administrative tasks of accountability have become onerous and, often, require teachers learn a new technological system to be able to complete.
“We are surrounded by modern, time-saving devices, but we never seem to have enough time.” Barry Schwartz
Teachers are checking boxes rather than internalize new practices, leading to initiative fatigue and cynicism about professional development. The result is a workforce that appears to be constantly improving on paper while actually becoming increasingly exhausted and less effective in practice. With the introduction of AI, this will intensify as teachers are now being tasked with learning an array of new apps and systems which will, as always, improve student learning.
The Hidden Costs of Constant Change
When educators are forced to implement new strategies without adequate time to master them, several damaging outcomes emerge. First, the quality of instruction suffers as teachers struggle to juggle multiple half-learned approaches rather than excelling at a few well-practiced strategies. Second, the mental health toll on educators becomes severe. The constant pressure to improve without support creates anxiety, burnout, and a sense of professional inadequacy. Teachers begin to question their abilities not because they lack skill, but because they lack the time to develop their skills properly. Finally, the profession loses its appeal to potential new educators. When teaching is portrayed as a career requiring constant after-hours learning and improvement without compensation or support, fewer talented individuals choose education. People are no longer willing to devote their lives to just working. Yes, teaching is a noble profession. No, it should be one’s whole life. All this adds up to a teacher shortage that is being felt across the globe. Yet, leaders asking for this change have failed to introduce any meaningful systemic changes.
The Research on Effective Professional Development
Educational research consistently shows that meaningful professional growth requires sustained focus, collaborative reflection, and time for practice. Effective professional development isn’t a one-time workshop or a quick implementation of the latest trend—it’s a gradual process of learning, trying, reflecting, and refining over time.
Studies indicate that teachers need multiple opportunities to practice new strategies in low-stakes environments before implementing them with students. They benefit from peer collaboration, mentoring relationships, and time to observe other educators. None of these evidence-based practices are possible when improvement is mandated without time being provided.
What Real Support Looks Like
Supporting improvement requires a fundamental shift in professional development. Rather than adding more requirements to teachers’ jobs, educational leaders need to create structures that support teacher learning. This might mean implementing “learning sprints” where teachers focus on mastering one new strategy over several months with dedicated time for practice and reflection. It could involve creating true collaboration time where educators can observe each other, share challenges, and problem-solve together. It might require saying no to new initiatives until current ones are fully implemented and evaluated.
Supporting improvement requires those making decisions seek out systemic changes – seeking out new and different ways to provide learning opportunities for students. Most importantly, it requires recognizing that effective teaching is a complex professional skill that develops over time with proper support, not a checklist of tasks to be completed during personal time. The current system is not sustainable in its current form, yet leaders appear unable, or unwilling, to make meaningful change despite the continued call from teachers that change needs to happen.
The Path Forward
The improvement paradox facing educators is not sustainable. Educational leaders and policy makers cannot continue to demand excellence while withholding the conditions necessary to achieve it. Educational leaders, policy makers, and communities must recognize that supporting teacher growth requires more than good intentions—it requires time, resources, and a commitment to treating education as the complex professional endeavor it truly is. It requires more than platitudes. “We know you are working hard. We see you.” pizza lunches and gift baskets just won’t do any more. It’s time to focus on making real change that supports teachers.
The solution isn’t to stop expecting improvement from educators. Teachers are professionals who want to grow and serve their students better. The solution is to create conditions where meaningful improvement is possible: protected time for learning, reduced administrative burden, collaborative environments, and recognition that sustainable change takes time.
Until we address this fundamental contradiction, we will continue to burn out our most valuable educational resource: the teachers themselves. The time has come to align our expectations with support, creating conditions where educators can truly thrive rather than merely survive.