Leading Schools Through and Beyond the Pandemic

Leading Schools Through and Beyond the Pandemic

Author: Suzy Hardie

Publisher: IAP

Published: 2024-07-01

Total Pages: 243

ISBN-13:

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Much of the literature has relied on others commenting on the work of educational leaders, rather than the voice of the leaders driving the commentary. There have been few studies attempting to capture principal voices within and between countries. The International School Leadership Development Network (ISLDN) was formed in 2009 and has had scholars from more than 20 countries involved (Barnett & Woods, 2021). In response to the pandemic, the ISLDN embarked on a study that analyzed the impact Covid-19 had on the school leaders and the way that they lead. The study captures a unique timeframe as the school leaders were still leading through the pandemic and adjusting to leadership after a global pandemic. In this book we are using these cases to describe how principals not only led their schools during the pandemic, but what they are doing as we come out of the pandemic. What makes this book different from many of the other publications about education and the pandemic is: A) Principal voice is often missing from research and writing about the educational impact of the COVID pandemic. B) The book draws upon empirical research conducted in 2022. It is reporting on principal case studies collected as part of the research of the International School Leadership Development Network. There are 37 principal cases from seven countries, and 25 writers. These cases have not been reported elsewhere and were collected especially for the book. C) The cases are focused not only on how principals led their school through the pandemic, but how they are leading beyond the pandemic. A feature of the cases is reflection on enduring changes to education and the implications for future educational leadership. D) Whilst principals discuss their responses to the various mandates and pressures, and what worked well and what could have been done better, they also reflect on the support they gave others, and the support they got.


School and District Leadership in an Era of Accountability

School and District Leadership in an Era of Accountability

Author: Bruce G. Barnett

Publisher: IAP

Published: 2013-09-01

Total Pages: 291

ISBN-13: 1623963842

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Our fourth book in the International Research on School Leadership series focuses on school leadership in an era of high stakes accountability. Fueled by sweeping federal education accountability reforms, such as the United States’ No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and Race to the Top (R2T) and Australia’s Performance Measurement and Reporting Taskforce, school systems around the world are being forced to increase academic standards, participate in high-stakes testing, and raise evaluation standards for teachers and principals. These results-driven reforms are intended to hold educators “accountable for student learning and accountable to the public” (Anderson, 2005, p. 2, emphasis in original). While policymakers and the public debate the merits of student achievement accountability measures, P-12 educational leaders do not have the luxury to wait for clear guidance and resources to improve their schools and operating systems. Instead, successful leaders must balance the need to create learning communities, manage the organizational climate, and encourage community involvement with the consequences testing has on teacher morale and public scrutiny. The chapters in this volume clearly indicate that as school leaders attend to these potentially competing forces, this affects their problem-solving strategies, ability to facilitate change, and encourage community involvement. We were delighted with the responses from colleagues around the world who were eager to share their research dealing with how leaders are functioning effectively within a high-accountability environment. The nine chapters in this volume provide empirical evidence of the strategies school leaders use to cope with problems and negotiate external demands while improving student performance. In particular, the voices and actions of principals, superintendents, and school board members are captured in a blend of quantitative and qualitative studies. The breadth of studies is impressive, ranging from case studies of individual principals to cross-district comparisons to national data from the National Center for Education Statistics. To highlight important findings, we have organized the book into five sections. The first section (Chapters 2, 3, and 4) highlights the problem-solving strategies used by principals and superintendents when pressured to turn around low-performing schools. In the second section (Chapters 5 and 6), attention is devoted to ways in which school leaders act as “buffers” by reducing the impact of external demands within their local school contexts. Next, Chapters 7 and 8 explore creative ways in which financial analyses can be used to assess the cost effectiveness of programs and services. Chapters 9 and 10 examine how principals enact their instructional leadership roles in managing curriculum reforms and evaluating teachers. Finally, in the last section (Chapter 11), Kenneth Leithwood synthesizes the major themes and ideas emerging across these chapters, paying particular attention to practical issues influencing school leaders in this era of school reform and accountability as well as promising areas for future research.


Using Data in Schools to Inform Leadership and Decision Making

Using Data in Schools to Inform Leadership and Decision Making

Author: Alex J. Bowers

Publisher: IAP

Published: 2014-11-01

Total Pages: 281

ISBN-13: 1623967880

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Our fifth book in the International Research on School Leadership series focuses on the use of data in schools and districts as useful information for leadership and decision making. Schools are awash in data and information, from test scores, to grades, to discipline reports, and attendance as just a short list of student information sources, while additional streams of data feed into schools and districts from teachers and parents as well as local, regional and national policy levels. To deal with the data, schools have implemented a variety of data practices, from data rooms, to data days, data walks, and data protocols. However, despite the flood of data, successful school leaders are leveraging an analysis of their school’s data as a means to bring about continuous improvement in an effort to improve instruction for all students. Nevertheless, some drown, some swim, while others find success. Our goal in this book volume is to bring together a set of chapters by authors who examine successful data use as it relates to leadership and school improvement. In particular, the chapters in this volume consider important issues in this domain, including: • How educational leaders use data to inform their practice. • What types of data and data analysis are most useful to successful school leaders. • To what extent are data driven and data informed practices helping school leaders positively change instructional practice? • In what ways does good data collection and analysis feed into successful continuous improvement and holistic systems thinking? • How have school leadership practices changed as more data and data analysis techniques have become available? • What are the major obstacles facing school leaders when using data for decision making and how do they overcome them?


Reopening K-12 Schools During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Reopening K-12 Schools During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2020-11-08

Total Pages: 115

ISBN-13: 0309680077

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The COVID-19 pandemic has presented unprecedented challenges to the nation's K-12 education system. The rush to slow the spread of the virus led to closures of schools across the country, with little time to ensure continuity of instruction or to create a framework for deciding when and how to reopen schools. States, districts, and schools are now grappling with the complex and high-stakes questions of whether to reopen school buildings and how to operate them safely if they do reopen. These decisions need to be informed by the most up-to-date evidence about the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19; about the impacts of school closures on students and families; and about the complexities of operating school buildings as the pandemic persists. Reopening K-12 Schools During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Prioritizing Health, Equity, and Communities provides guidance on the reopening and operation of elementary and secondary schools for the 2020-2021 school year. The recommendations of this report are designed to help districts and schools successfully navigate the complex decisions around reopening school buildings, keeping them open, and operating them safely.


Leading in Change

Leading in Change

Author: Valerie A. Storey

Publisher: IAP

Published: 2019-03-01

Total Pages: 282

ISBN-13: 1641135514

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Leading in Change: Implications for School Leadership Preparation in England and the United States considers the ways in which school leadership, and its preparation has changed and developed in response to a rapidly changing educational scenario over the past decade. Drawing together leading thinkers, researchers, and practitioners in the field of school leadership and management this text takes an international perspective to consider what we know about school diversification, and school leadership preparation. Theoretically and conceptually informed, the contributors’ draw on recent empirical research studies and practitioner experience into school leadership preparation to examine how neoliberal and neoconservative policies are working in unison to privatize and corporatize public schools. It looks at how these policies have impacted the preparation of school leaders. In addition to information, critique, and analysis, multiple perspectives are provided that readers can draw upon to ensure aspiring school leaders are successfully prepared to lead in a diversified and corporate school context. The book is divided into three sections. In the first section key topics covered include: • Relationship between school corporatization and leadership preparation in England and the United States • Comparative analysis of US charter schools and UK academy trusts Section two is focused on England. Key topics covered include: • System leadership and governance in networked systems • Role of a specialist leader • Role of social capital in the leadership of academy and free schools • Building leadership capacity • Women's leadership preparation in the independent sector Section three is focused on the United States. Key topics covered include: • Overview of current education reform, issues and challenges for school leadership • Historical analysis of standards for educational leadership preparation programs • Preparing charter school leaders, emerging challenges and opportunities • Role of a growth mindset in principal preparation programs • School leadership preparation and development in one state Leading in Change: Implications for School Leadership Preparation in England and the United States is essential reading for those who work, study, or research in k-12 school reform. Contributors examine the current research and best practices on present school leadership preparation programs in England and the US adding to the discourse on effective training methods for 21st century school leaders. Given the crucial importance of leadership for effective school performance, a number of strategies are proposed by chapter authors to help future school leaders operate successfully in demanding and changing times.


Challenges and Opportunities of Educational Leadership Research and Practice

Challenges and Opportunities of Educational Leadership Research and Practice

Author: Alex J. Bowers

Publisher: Information Age Publishing

Published: 2016

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781681232751

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A volume in International Research on School Leadership Series Editors: Alex J. Bowers, Teachers College- Columbia University; Alan R. Shoho, University of Wisconsin‐Milwaukee; Bruce G. Barnett, University of Texas at San Antonio As the sixth volume in the International Research on School Leadership series, the contributing authors in this volume consider the history, challenges, and opportunities of the field of research and practice in educational leadership and administration in schools and districts. Ten years after the work of Firestone and Riehl (2005) and their contributing authors, our aim with the present volume was to summarize and update the work of the field, and provide a space to consider the multiple futures of educational leadership in schools and districts, as both challenges and opportunities. The first decade of the twenty‐first century brought significant critiques, challenges, and competition to the research and practice of training leaders and administrators of schools and districts around the world. Congruently, the field experienced significant growth and change, as multiple new sub‐domains flourished and were founded. Thus, in this volume we were delighted to included excellent chapters from multiple authors that considered the duality of the challenges and opportunities of:  The work of the field of educational leadership and administration research to date.  The opportunities and challenges of new visions of leadership in traditional and non‐traditional schools.  The evolving state of research evidence in educational leadership and the increasing sophistication of multiple methodologies, including qualitative research, quantitative modeling, the ability to test theory, and the increasing opportunities brought on by the intersection of data, research, and practice.  The preparation of educational leaders.  And the emerging trends in the professional development of school leaders.


Primary and Secondary Education During Covid-19

Primary and Secondary Education During Covid-19

Author: Fernando M. Reimers

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2021-09-14

Total Pages: 467

ISBN-13: 3030815005

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This open access edited volume is a comparative effort to discern the short-term educational impact of the covid-19 pandemic on students, teachers and systems in Brazil, Chile, Finland, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Spain, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States. One of the first academic comparative studies of the educational impact of the pandemic, the book explains how the interruption of in person instruction and the variable efficacy of alternative forms of education caused learning loss and disengagement with learning, especially for disadvantaged students. Other direct and indirect impacts of the pandemic diminished the ability of families to support children and youth in their education. For students, as well as for teachers and school staff, these included the economic shocks experienced by families, in some cases leading to food insecurity and in many more causing stress and anxiety and impacting mental health. Opportunity to learn was also diminished by the shocks and trauma experienced by those with a close relative infected by the virus, and by the constrains on learning resulting from students having to learn at home, where the demands of schoolwork had to be negotiated with other family necessities, often sharing limited space. Furthermore, the prolonged stress caused by the uncertainty over the resolution of the pandemic and resulting from the knowledge that anyone could be infected and potentially lose their lives, created a traumatic context for many that undermined the necessary focus and dedication to schoolwork. These individual effects were reinforced by community effects, particularly for students and teachers living in communities where the multifaceted negative impacts resulting from the pandemic were pervasive. This is an open access book.


Leading Through a Pandemic

Leading Through a Pandemic

Author: Michael J. Dowling

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2020-08-25

Total Pages: 243

ISBN-13: 1510763856

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"A clarifying must-read in these uncertain times.” —GOVERNOR ANDREW CUOMO Journey behind the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic with Northwell Health, New York’s largest health system. What was it like at the epicenter, inside the health system that cared for more COVID-19 patients than any other in the United States? Leading Through a Pandemic: The Inside Story of Lessons Learned about Innovation, Leadership, and Humanity During the COVID-19Crisis takes readers inside Northwell Health, New York’s largest health system. From the C-suite to the front lines, the book reports on groundwork that positioned Northwell as uniquely prepared for the pandemic. Two decades ago, Northwell leaders began preparing for disasters—floods, hurricanes, blackouts, viruses, and more based on the belief that "bad things will happen and we have to be ready." Following a course highly unusual for an American health system, Northwell developed one of the most advanced non-government emergency response systems in the country. Northwell reached a point where leaders could confidently say "we are comfortable being uncomfortable in a crisis." But even with sustained preparation, the pandemic stands as a singularly humbling experience. Leading Through a Pandemic offers guidance on how hospitals and health systems throughout the country can prepare more effectively for the next viral threat. The book includes dramatic stories from the front lines at the peak of the viral assault and lessons of what went well, and what did not. The authors draw upon the Northwell experience to prescribe changes in the health care system for next time. Beyond the obvious need for increased stockpiles of supplies and equipment is the far more challenging task of fundamentally changing the culture of American health care to embrace a more robust emergency response capability in hospitals and systems of all sizes across the nation. The book is a must read for health care professionals, policy-makers, journalists, and readers whose curiosity demands a deeper dive into the surreal realm of the coronavirus pandemic.


Professional Capital

Professional Capital

Author: Andy Hargreaves

Publisher: Teachers College Press

Published: 2015-04-24

Total Pages: 241

ISBN-13: 0807771708

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The future of learning depends absolutely on the future of teaching. In this latest and most important collaboration, Andy Hargreaves and Michael Fullan show how the quality of teaching is captured in a compelling new idea: the professional capital of every teacher working together in every school. Speaking out against policies that result in a teaching force that is inexperienced, inexpensive, and exhausted in short order, these two world authorities--who know teaching and leadership inside out--set out a groundbreaking new agenda to transform the future of teaching and public education. Ideas-driven, evidence-based, and strategically powerful, Professional Capital combats the tired arguments and stereotypes of teachers and teaching and shows us how to change them by demanding more of the teaching profession and more from the systems that support it. This is a book that no one connected with schools can afford to ignore. This book features: (1) a powerful and practical solution to what ails American schools; (2) Action guidelines for all groups--individual teachers, administrators, schools and districts, state and federal leaders; (3) a next-generation update of core themes from the authors' bestselling book, "What's Worth Fighting for in Your School?" [This book was co-published with the Ontario Principals' Council.].