The COVID-19 pandemic that began in late 2019 but grew into a national crisis during the first three months of 2020 provides a unique context for researching how educational leaders respond to precarity. For leaders who are also mothers, a group that scholars commonly call mother/leaders (Grzelakowski, 2005), the intersections of personal and professional identities create specific constraints relative to their positioning. This study explores the experiences of ten K-12 school mother/leaders (e.g. principals, assistant principals, and curriculum leaders).
The purpose of this study is to identify how teachers of Emergent Bilinguals labeled English Language Learners (EL teachers) responded to the sudden shift to emergency remote teaching and learning (ERTL) due to COVID-19 in March 2020. Emergent Bilingual teachers from Indiana, Minnesota, and Wisconsin were surveyed during ERTL and this paper details how these specialized teachers responded to ensure continued instruction for Emergent Bilingual students. We highlight what tasks EL teachers were asked to do by their schools, colleagues, and administration, as well as what was needed from students and families. Specifically, we organize their responses in terms of instructional and service-oriented activities. Data offer insights into existing disparities and demands placed on EL teachers (instructional and non-instructional services) which were exacerbated and made more visible by the ERTL condition. Findings suggest that districts are overwhelmingly out of compliance with requirements to provide equitable access to education as mandated by Title VI and the Equal Educational Opportunities Act.
Of the myriad responsibilities of the building principal, the most recognized and critical activity is overseeing and ensuring student success in the classroom. Considering the diverse population of professionals that building principals have under their supervision that directly impact students' classroom learning, the authors posit that a critical and unrecognized contributor to educational achievement and success is the school nurse. The vital importance of the school nurse's role in students' classroom success can be found in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services fundamental statement, health is a foundational aspect of children's ability to develop, learn, and thrive in the classroom. Therefore, in cooperation with a building principal's leadership, the formation of a mutualistic, trusting, professional, and visible relationship with the school nurse is vital in laying a foundation for successful student learning outcomes. Furthermore, the importance and criticality of a successful principal-school nurse relationship is supported in the tenets, directly or indirectly, found in Whole Child research and the Every Student Succeeds Act. Finally, this vital relationship is found to be even more crucial during this period of the COVID-19 pandemic. [Note: The publication year (2020) shown via the full text is incorrect. The correct year is 2021.]
Within the context of a global pandemic and challenges of adapting pedagogical practice to virtual instruction, four higher education professors came together to share observations and review student feedback regarding their online learning experiences. Using an Appreciative Inquiry (Cooperrider & Srivastva, 1987) theoretical framework, researchers mapped the journey of transforming their instruction and delivery by collectively re-envisioning the upcoming semester's online teaching approach. This paper documents outcomes of the study offering the reader a framework to harness professional capital, as well as replicable online instructional strategies, with implications related to the course, student, and instructor.
The purpose of this review article was to examine the turbulence of the current educational context in light of COVID-19 and the associated school closures, for disengaged high school students, often over-aged, who are nearing the end of their academic journeys. In this review, I provide a concise overview of the way that the high school dropout problem has been conceptualized, the theoretical framework of turbulence theory, and the relevant barriers that disengaged high school students, marginalized and subjected to pushout, are currently experiencing. I assert that even with established supports in place, more attention is needed to developing approaches that consider the turbulence that disengaged students experience nearing high school departure during this period of school closure and remote instruction. Next, I analyze the turbulence experienced by such students by using the turbulence gauge to assess the three drivers and the general level of turbulence. I conclude by offering recommendations for further supporting disengaged students at-risk for pushout or dropout.
With two-thirds of new leaders being women, it has become increasingly more clear that the face of our educational organizations is changing both symbolically and substantively. The demands placed on public education have also grown exponentially. If society demands that schools become better, then it is necessary to investigate the approaches that school leaders utilize in making decisions.
also allows candidates to pursue licensure through two other pathways: internship only, through district sponsorship, and portfolio review.All candidates are required to complete the
