How Are District and School Administrators Responding to COVID-19?

• In Event: New Leadership Strains: School Leadership and the COVID Crisis

Abstract

Across the globe, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been great. In the United States, this equated to approximately 50 million K-12 students being pulled from their physical classrooms, along with 3.5 million teachers. Notwithstanding, emerging evidence about the impact of COVID-19 on K-12 school systems is largely anecdotal. Notably, few studies have empirically examined its impact on K-12 leadership responses at the district/local level. Through interviews with superintendents, principals, and assistant principals (N = 20) across two case districts, we therefore examine the intersectionality of federal/state guidance, leader expertise, and local contextual conditions and how these, together, promote or hinder a district’s ability to respond successfully.

Authors

• Craig De Voto, University of Illinois at Chicago

• Benjamin M. Superfine, University of Illinois at Chicago

• Marc Dewit, University of Illinois at Chicago