This study explores and explains crisis leadership through surveys and experiential narratives of school principals in the State of Delaware. The study focuses on the lived experiences of school principals for decision-making and responding to the impact that the pandemic (i.e., COVID-19) has had on the educational concerns of students, schools,…

This qualitative study explored the decision-making processes of 13 diverse Chancellors, President/Superintendents, and Presidents from California community colleges during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on how they navigated campus closures, the return to in-person work, and what or who influenced their decisions. Through interviews, three main…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore institutional crisis leadership during a global pandemic in the athletic departments of five mid-major universities located in the Midwest United States, including Blue University, Red University, Green University, Orange University, and Purple University. This study examined the leadership…

Literature over the past several decades offers a plethora of information regarding crisis management in the private sector (Burnett, 1998; Fink, 1986; Coombs, 2007; Pauchant & Mitroff, 1992; Pearson & Clair, 1998; Pearson & Mitroff, 1993). Conversely, there is little research regarding crisis management in a school setting (Gainey,…

This article examines the experiences and coping strategies of four university middle-managers during the unprecedented time of disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We use the research approach of autoethnography to reflect on our experiences and decision-making processes. To reflect on how we managed the rapid change and moved from…

The decision whether to reopen universities for in-person learning in late 2020 relied on ethical decision-making where the consequences were dire to the mission of the institution, health of the community, financial well-being of the institution and employees, and had political ramifications. The risks that universities faced worldwide included…

In higher education, the discursive establishment of 'faculty' vs. 'administrator' creates a dualistic, hierarchical structure, informing relationalities between/within ourselves and faculty. As administrators, we found/find ourselves in relational encounters, entanglements of material-discursive bodies, that we were/are a part of producing. In…

COVID-19 has presented unprecedented challenges to schools, leaving principals to lead rapid organizational change with limited guidance or support. Drawing on interviews from a larger, national study of principals at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we analyzed the experiences of 20 principals in four large, urban school districts--Boston,…

COVID-19 has presented unprecedented challenges to schools, leaving principals to lead rapid organizational change with limited guidance or support. Drawing on interviews from a larger, national study of principals at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we analyzed the experiences of 20 principals in four large, urban school districts--Boston,…

This dissertation examines the decision-making processes of principals regarding out-of-school suspension of Black boys. Employing a mixed-method approach integrating survey questions and interviews, it delves into the multifaceted layers influencing disciplinary decisions in educational settings. A primary objective is to investigate the…

Purpose: Nearly all schools in the United States closed in spring 2020, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. We analyze traditional public and charter school reopenings for the 2020-21 school year in five urban districts. We provide a rich and theoretically grounded description of how and why educational leaders made reopening decisions in each…

Partisanship influenced learning modality after the pandemic's onset, but it is unknown whether partisanship predicted other aspects of educational operations. We study the role of partisanship, race, markets, and public health in predicting a range of operations--from modality to family engagement to social-emotional support to teacher…

The main aim of the study was to extract an emergence of situational leadership during COVID-19 pandemic called new normal leadership among school administrators in the Philippines.To achieve this aim, the researcher selected several school administrators within the Province of Bulacan during the school year 2020-2021. The study utilized a…

This study investigated what difficulties school administrators experienced in making decisions, planning, organizing, communicating, influencing, coordinating and budgeting during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sample consisted of 32 school administrators in the first semester of the academic year 2020-2021. Participants were recruited from seven…

The disruption of the academic year by the COVID-19 pandemic required higher education institutions to manage and lead under untenable conditions. This article is a case study of a leadership model adopted at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) located in South Africa. It offers insights into how the leadership and governance evolved and enabled…