School leadership in uncertain times: identifying dimensions of effective principal leadership

ABSTRACT

Through this study, we address the challenges that U.S. principals faced in the recent COVID crisis and analyse their leadership responses. Our purpose for this study was to identify the leadership practices of school principals that are effective in navigating a school crisis. We used the three dimensions identified in the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative (NPLI) to explore meta-leadership as a framework for identifying school leadership practices under circumstances of extreme pressure and stress. Using transcripts from a broader national qualitative study of U.S. public school principals in 19 different states, we used a purposeful sampling technique to identify 18 of these transcripts for analysis. From our data analysis, we organise our findings into three primary themes based on the NPLI framework: attributes of the principal, perceptions and actions of the principal, and the principal's connections to stakeholders. Within each of these primary themes, we developed sub-themes to highlight the leadership practices of school principals across the U.S. as they navigated the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic. We found that high emotional intelligence, collaboration, care of others, and attention to the unique context of the school community are extremely important aspects of school leadership during a crisis.

KEYWORDS:

• Principals
• leadership
• crisis management
• COVID-19

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sonya D. Hayes

Sonya Hayes, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Tennessee. She received her PhD in Educational Administration from Texas A&M University, and prior to entering the professoriate, DR. Hayes served in public education as a high school English teacher, an Assistant Principal, and a Principal for 23 years. Her research interests include leadership development and professional learning for both pre and in-service school principals, primarily focusing on mentoring, coaching, and networking.

Mary Lynne Derrington

Mary Lynne Derrington, Ed.D. is an associate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She received a doctorate in policy, governance and administration from the University of Washington. Before entering the professoriate, DR. Derrington served as a school superintendent for 18 years. She was also a principal, teacher, and curriculum director serving at all preK-12 levels including work with Head Start and the International School system in the Netherlands. Her research interests focus teacher and principal evaluation and principal supervision and instructional leadership.