Spiritual Leadership Among Local School Superintendents in Appalachian Ohio

• In Event: The Role of Spirituality Across Different Educational Settings

Abstract

This explanatory sequential, mixed methods study investigated how Appalachian superintendents perceive spirituality as a motivation for practice (what they do), ethics (the moral principles that drive their work), and resilience (persistence to do what they do). This inquiry asks, How do these Appalachian leaders define the notion of calling in identifying as spiritual leaders? As a driving question, the central concern of the research is to consider how perceptions of spirituality and calling impact superintendents’ connection to their location and districts. The study examines 63 superintendents from the 129 school districts that comprise Appalachian Ohio. An integrated analysis of quantitative and qualitative data results that will be presented in the findings and significance to scholarship.

Authors

• Craig S. Heath, Berne Union High School

• Charles L. Lowery, Ohio University

• Michael E. Hess, Ohio University