Who We Are
Upbeat is a K-12 education research and consulting company staffed by former educators, senior school administrators, and leading researchers. We focus exclusively on teacher retention through our research-backed survey tool and personalized leadership coaching service.
Our story
Upbeat was founded in 2016 by Henry Wellington, a former Special Education teacher in New York City. Henry began his career in education recruiting, seeing first-hand the planning and resources necessary to find and hire qualified teachers. When he transitioned to teaching himself, he saw that the same level of effort put into recruiting new hires was not being applied to keeping those teachers engaged and in their positions.
After moving to a new school, Henry saw firsthand how poor teacher retention was negatively affecting students. Eager to understand more about why this was happening, he decided to reach out to researchers at Brown University who specialized in teacher retention and engagement. Those relationships became the seed for Upbeat’s first survey tool, launched in 2016.
Since then, Upbeat has remained an independent education research and consulting company staffed by former educators and school administrators. Upbeat has kept its singular focus on teacher retention as a critical metric for understanding student achievement and school performance. We continue to evolve, improve, and grow in order to better serve teachers, students, and school communities.
Our mission & values
Upbeat is on a mission to help school leaders keep great teachers in the classroom. We want to reduce teacher burnout and improve teacher satisfaction and retention in every school across the country so that students — and teachers — can thrive.
We are guided by these core values:
Passionate
We are a dedicated team of former educators and senior school administrators that care deeply about supporting teachers.
Optimistic
We believe that teachers and students deserve a school environment that supports their growth, and know our work can help build a better system.
Dynamic
We are energized by the trust our clients put in us, and thrive most as problem-solvers and collaborators, not just service-providers.
Analytic
We are never satisfied with surface-level answers — we dig deep to find common underlying issues and apply that knowledge to helping more schools.
Inquisitive
We are open-minded and curious, always seeking better outcomes for teachers and students.
Our Leadership
Founded and staffed by former educators and school administrators, the Upbeat team understands firsthand that data alone does not yield positive results — people do. That’s why we seek out the best and most seasoned school administrators, former educators, and leading researchers to join us in our mission to keep great teachers in their classrooms.
Meet our expert leadership coaches >
Meet our dedicated staff >
Who we work with
Upbeat works closely with a wide range of public, private, and charter schools and school districts around the country — from dense urban school districts to schools in rural and suburban areas.
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“We've consistently witnessed a rise in teacher retention, with Leadership Coaching proving instrumental in this success. Principals recognize the invaluable experience our coaches bring to the table, having been in their shoes, which enhances credibility. Upbeat’s coaches delve deep into the data alongside principals, fostering a comprehensive understanding of school dynamics and facilitating informed decision-making."
94.9% teacher retention rate in SY23-24Dr. Green-Webb
Chief of Human Resources (retired), Jefferson County Public Schools (Louisville, KY)
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"Within the first year of our partnership with Upbeat, teacher retention in our 71 pilot schools increased by over 12%. Principals are harnessing the power of Upbeat's data to gain insights into the most effective ways to support our teachers, and the immediate results are clearly visible."
Brandi Hosack
Chief of Talent Strategy, Austin ISD
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“Upbeat is our district’s competitive advantage; it’s essential to build cultures that attract and retain teachers. By leveraging Upbeat's comprehensive resources and expertise, we are empowered to create environments where teachers thrive, students excel, and our entire educational community flourishes."
Erick Treuting
Assistant Director of Human Resources, St. Charles Parish
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"Upbeat's engagement data is integral across our network. From shaping our professional development and expanding design teams to establishing clear career paths and devising recruitment plans, we utilize this data to empower teacher voice and drive crucial decision-making processes. This data also helps us ensure the strongest organizational culture to ensure our educator voice is driving our strategies and priorities."
Scott Frauenheim
Chief Executive Officer, Distinctive Schools
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“The Upbeat Leadership Coaches have been practitioners, principals, and superintendents; they’ve lived the life on a campus. Our principals and administrators in our district have benefited and built relationships with the coaches and developed action plans from the data, and the success has been evident on our campuses and departments.”
Willie Watson Jr.
Chief Human Resource Officer, Pflugerville ISD
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"Our Upbeat data empowers us to grasp the unique climate and culture of each school and take responsive action. Through collaboration with Upbeat's leadership coaches, our principals gain profound insights into what strategies truly yield results, enabling them to provide optimal support for teacher retention."
Nyree Sanders
Director of Human Resources, Newton County Schools
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"I have principals asking about future survey administrations with Upbeat. Our principals are excited about the survey, and principals and staff are invested in the growth. As a district, we were able to use Upbeat's data to inform our strategic plan, and, on a school-level, we were able to understand what is happening on each campus."
Lenichtka Reed
Associate Human Resources Director
Tigard-Tualatin School District 23j
What our clients have to say
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“I really value my time with my leadership coach. She has been a wonderful resource as I tackle areas of growth - a great sounding board for my ideas and a knowledgeable thought partner in crafting a path forward.”
Principal
Bethel School District -
“The data that is provided is most helpful! You can drill down to see the responses by content areas, support staff, certificated staff, etc.”
Principal
Clarksville Montgomery -
“The data helps me to get a pulse on the building culture and the coaching confirms it with resources offered.”
Principal
Columbus Public Schools -
“I love working with my leadership coach; I always leave our sessions with new perspective and insights into our staff and my work!”
Principal
Distinctive Schools -
“I would recommend the Upbeat survey to others. The information/results can be a good place to start dialogue with staff to improve areas of the school community.”
Principal
Greenville -
“Upbeat provides a pulse of the school's climate. This is a systematic process for determining possible areas of improvement in supporting teacher wellbeing and areas of perceived support.”
Principal
Greenville -
“This is the 2nd or 3rd year that I have been working with my coach. We have built a rapport and understanding of progress made and areas for continued growth. The conversation and support are genuine, practical, and applicable to my work / role.”
Principal
JCPS -
“This experience has allowed us to identify changes needed on behalf of adults during challenging times with staffing. My coach has taken a vested interest in our school and is quick to offer quality suggestions and tools to help in our journey.”
Principal
JCPS
Our proprietary research
General-purpose survey companies only provide the technology to collect survey results, and are not designed exclusively for teacher retention. No other survey company in the nation has invested in teacher retention and engagement like Upbeat. We’ve studied years of teacher turnover data and invested in cutting-edge proprietary research to develop and continually improve our survey. Combined with our collaboration with districts around the company, this allows us to provide targeted, up-to-date, actionable data.
Upbeat is solely focused on teacher retention - we are the experts.
We developed our survey with cutting-edge K-12 research, and continually refine it based on new learning. General-purpose surveys don’t get at the heart of the matter: how is a school’s climate and culture impacting teacher engagement and satisfaction? These factors directly impact teacher retention, student achievement, and school performance.
Timely results on an easy-to-use dashboard.
Upbeat returns data within two weeks of survey completion for real-time feedback, quicker decision making, and actionable insights for principals and district leaders. Compare survey results among schools, view progress over time, or zoom into specific data points of interest. Our team helps you understand and interpret your data, and share it with important stakeholders.
Collaborate closely with an industry-leading coach to analyze and interpret data, ensuring informed decision-making.
Upbeat offers you direct access to a team of experts dedicated to addressing your unique goals and challenges head-on. Our coaches, comprising highly seasoned educators and senior school administrators, actively collaborate with principals to tackle problems and set priorities that drive tangible results. They don't just provide support; they take action to make a real difference.