Educational leadership support for work transitions during COVID-19: perceptions of K-12 teachers in United States and China

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to explore the educational leadership support as perceived by K-12 teachers and leadership effectiveness in addressing the work transition during the COVID-19 pandemic in two countries: China and the U.S. In this exploratory study, sixteen K-12 teachers from China and the U.S. were interviewed. Our findings indicated that participants received educational leadership support in daily tasks, well-being, and training and development. Participants also indicated that their leaders helped them cope with the work transition by empowering and inspiring them. However, the leaders also faced challenges including limited resources and lack of authorization from upper-level administration. Differences in educational leadership were identified between China and the U.S. in terms of communication and trust-building, work-life/family balance, and safety. This study provides insights for educational leaders and HRD professionals on strategies to support teachers in a crisis such as the pandemic.

KEYWORDS:

• Educational leadership support
• work transition
• COVID-19
• China
• United States

Acknowledgments

We would like to sincerely thank the special issue editors for their constructive and insightful feedback on this article during the revision process.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the University of Arkansas.