New book links behaviour pressures to teacher stress and attrition
Student behaviour was cited by 47% of Australian teachers planning to leave the profession in 2024, according to Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership data highlighted by Real Schools founder Adam Voigt.
That share was up from 25% in 2020, based on Australian Teacher Workforce Data. Real Schools linked the figures to Voigt’s new book, The Truth About Student Behaviour, which is out in September 2026.
The organisation argues behaviour has become one of the strongest pressures on schools because it affects teacher stress, job satisfaction and plans to quit.
The 2024 AITSL data found student behaviour was mentioned almost as often as insufficient pay by teachers considering leaving the profession.
Meanwhile, TALIS 2024 showed 34% of Australian lower-secondary teachers experienced stress “a lot” at work. Across the OECD, the comparable figure was 19%.
Voigt urges practical behaviour strategies
Voigt argues the response should go beyond demands for better behaviour, tougher consequences or stronger classroom management.
“Teachers don’t need another person telling them they should be managing behaviour better. Most are already working incredibly hard in increasingly complex classrooms. What they need are approaches that actually work,” he said.
According to Real Schools, the book is aimed at teachers, school leaders and others who work with young people each day. It focuses on what sits beneath behaviour problems and on steps staff can use straight away.
Real Schools says the book encourages teachers to move away from control for its own sake. Instead, it points to relationships, structures and conditions that can make better behaviour more likely.
Voigt warned Australian schools risk losing teachers who are burning out or feeling overwhelmed if current conditions do not change.
“This book is about helping teachers understand what sits underneath student behaviour, what they can influence and what they can do differently tomorrow,” he said.
He argues that when schools address those underlying factors, teachers are better able to teach and students are better able to learn. Real Schools also says that can help create school environments where both groups feel they belong.
