“Make a real school out of the air” : the experiences of principals who were tasked with launching a virtual school during the pandemic
- UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Tanicka Lashawn Robeson (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
- Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
- Advisor
- Craig Peck
Abstract: Virtual schools have gained popularity by providing students with the flexibility to learn anytime, anywhere. The appeal of virtual education lies in its capacity to enhance student choices and improve the efficiency of public education (Molnar et al., 2019). Online learning, with its adaptable and personalized approach, proves more effective than traditional schools, potentially leading to greater student achievement (Molnar et al., 2019). The COVID-19 pandemic presented an unprecedented crisis that caught many school districts off guard (Francom et al., 2021). Globally, the pandemic forced the closure of primary, secondary, collegiate, public, and private educational institutions, leaving billions of students without in-person schooling to curb the spread of the Coronavirus. In response, school districts had to swiftly establish virtual schools and distance education mechanisms to ensure uninterrupted learning. In this qualitative study, I capture the experiences of principals who were tasked with launching a virtual school during the pandemic. I sought to answer the following research question: What were the experiences of principals who led the opening of new virtual schools during the COVID-19 pandemic? The theoretical framework for the study was built on the foundation of the International Society of Technology Education (ISTE) Standards for Administrators (Esplin et al., 2018), which present indicators of effective leadership for educational technology. In conducting this study, I relied on in-depth interviews as my primary data collection method. The reader is afforded the opportunity to view launching a virtual school during the pandemic through the lens of my study participants, all of whom were virtual school principals in North Carolina. My study findings reveal that the principals described their journeys as arduous but ultimately rewarding. They expressed that, upon entering the position, they were unprepared and lacked formal training for the role of a virtual school principal. Importantly, I also discovered that the participants encountered numerous challenges, including logistical issues, lack of support systems, and uneven resource allocations. Additionally, the principals reported disparities in student technology access. Lastly, most of the participants had difficulties describing their efforts in serving underserved minoritized populations. I concluded that although “making a real school out of the air” proved to be a laborious endeavor for the principals, it was undoubtedly fulfilling. In the end, school districts should devote ample strategic planning and relevant professional development training prior to program implementation.
“Make a real school out of the air” : the experiences of principals who were tasked with launching a virtual school during the pandemic
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Created on 5/1/2024
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Dissertation
- Language: English
- Date: 2024
- Keywords
- Education Technology Leadership, K12, Online Learning, Virtual Learning
- Subjects
- School principals $z North Carolina $x Attitudes
- Educational leadership $z North Carolina
- Web-based instruction $z North Carolina
- COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020- $x Influence