The Politics of Crisis Leadership: Examining Educator Responses to the Capitol Insurrection (Poster 22)

• In Event: Friday Poster Session 7:45 am
  In Poster Session: Social Policy and Education Poster Session

Abstract

Following the Capitol Insurrection, many educators received competing signals about whether and how to address it. This paper investigates the guidance they received, how educators responded, and examined whether state political affiliations related to the guidance that educators received. We draw on literature examining crisis leadership, educator responses to crises, and the influence of politics on educator decision-making. Using mixed methods to analyze the data gathered from a national survey of educators, we find that most educators received no explicit directions about how to address the Capitol Insurrection. We unpack the educators’ responses to this guidance. Lastly, educators received different guidance in Republican states compared to Democrat states. We conclude by exploring the implications of these findings on educators’ practices.

Authors

• Kristina Brezicha, Georgia State University

• Alison Wilson, University of Houston

• Alyssa Hadley Dunn, University of Connecticut

• Mariah Kornbluh, University of Oregon