Constructing and (Re)imagining Educational Leadership Through the Use of Case Studies

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

This interactive symposium will focus on utilizing case studies to navigate equitable organizational behavior and change at the campus and district levels during turbulent times. Audience members will engage with scenarios that educational leaders face on a daily basis and consider reimagining their roles in organizations using Bolman & Deal’s (2021) structural, political, human resource, and symbolic frames. Case study presentations will include relevant facts and a case narrative, followed by an interactive discussion about real-world implications and the use of the case for professional development. Case study topics include the glass cliff for superintendents, promotion and retention of students in special education, navigating racial tensions within the school community, and negotiating the power struggle between superintendents and school boards.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Learning and Teaching in Educational Leadership

Chair

• Jo Beth Jimerson, Texas Christian University

Papers

• Can the Cycle Be Broken? Latina Superintendents, the Glass Cliff, and Systemic Inequities - Angelina Gutierrez, Texas Christian University; Nancy Cruz Rodriguez, Texas Christian University

• Promotion or Retention? A Texas Senior’s Dilemma - Sonia Brown, Texas Christian University; Zarvonia Gibbs, Texas Christian University; Ron Mendoza, Texas Christian University

• Under Pressure: One Principal's Navigation through Racial Tension - Maria O'Connor, Texas Christian University; Lori Wilson, Texas Christian University

• Superintendent-School Board Conflict: Navigating Politics in District Leadership - Kailey Penn, Texas Christian University; Bel Williams, Texas Christian University

Session Organizer

• Maria O'Connor, Texas Christian University

Discussant

• Miriam Deborah Ezzani, Texas Christian University