CUEL Affiliates Publish Findings About Leaderships Responses During Pandemic in Educational Administration Quarterly (EAQ)

In a new study published by the journal Educational Administration Quarterly, CUEL Affiliate Craig De Voto, with colleagues Benjamin Superfine and Marc DeWit of UIC, investigate how K-12 leaders have responded to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic— especially the extensive federal/state policies governing their systems. The study focuses on two school districts over two years (2020– 2022), drawing on extensive interviews with K-12 leaders (n = 41) and teachers (n = 18), federal/state-level policy documents (N = 64), and local responses to the Comprehensive Assessment of Leaders for Learning (CALL) survey (N = 111). The data reveal that districts that possessed adequate expertise and organizational resources were better positioned to make sense of and respond to the crisis, whereas those lacking such capacities experienced increased anxiety/stress. In the process, the authors argue that the COVID-19 pandemic provides a new window into the critical external/internal factors influencing K-12 leader sensemaking and subsequent responses to crises more broadly. They also discuss the potential role intermediate service agencies might play in the development of a stronger crisis response infrastructure for associated districts and schools. Finally, they point out how principal preparation programs and professional development efforts could prospectively address such crisis-related challenges faced by K-12 leader. A link to the article may be accessed here.