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Elementary School Leadership, Climate, and Resilience during COVID-19: A Comparative Case Study of Two Independent Schools

Malone, Nora C.
http://orcid.org/0009-0002-9438-4799
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1698761952540936

Abstract Details

2023, Ph.D., Antioch University, Leadership and Change.
The recent worldwide pandemic impacted educational systems on a global scale, forcing school leaders to reimagine educational structures as they faced the ongoing wounding of the unprecedented, shared trauma wrought by COVID-19. Mandated U.S. school closures in March of 2020 forced an immediate transition to distance learning and presented unforeseen academic and social challenges for students, educators, parents, and school leaders. As school campuses re-opened over the next year, the pandemic continued to present hardships. School leaders were tasked with developing systems to follow appropriate health and safety measures, develop systems to accommodate stakeholders’ individual health circumstances, and communicate school policies regularly to those affected by them while still prioritizing the needs of students and their academic progress. Using comparative case-study methodology, this study explored the relationship between school leadership, school climate and organizational resilience in response to the ongoing wounding of COVID-19 from its onset in March of 2020 to the declared end of the pandemic in May of 2023, at two small independent elementary schools. This study illuminated the experiences of the schools’ leaders and provided actionable and transferable guidelines for educational leaders facing organizational trauma or crisis. The five key findings support practical implications for school leaders striving to support organizational resilience. They include: the importance of positive school climate, enhanced communication, adaptive capacity, organizational structure and embracing change. The study concludes with implications for future research. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu/) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu/).
Laurien Alexandre, PhD (Committee Chair)
Elizabeth Holloway, PhD (Committee Member)
Shana Hormann, PhD (Committee Member)
237 p.
Educational Leadership
board of trustees; comparative case study; Covid-19; elementary school leadership; head of school; independent school leadership; organizational crisis; organizational resilience; organizational trauma; principals; school administrators; school climate

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Malone, N. C. (2023). Elementary School Leadership, Climate, and Resilience during COVID-19: A Comparative Case Study of Two Independent Schools [Doctoral dissertation, Antioch University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1698761952540936

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Malone, Nora. Elementary School Leadership, Climate, and Resilience during COVID-19: A Comparative Case Study of Two Independent Schools. 2023. Antioch University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1698761952540936.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Malone, Nora. "Elementary School Leadership, Climate, and Resilience during COVID-19: A Comparative Case Study of Two Independent Schools." Doctoral dissertation, Antioch University, 2023. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1698761952540936

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

antioch1698761952540936
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© 2023, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Antioch University and OhioLINK.