Critical Response
Educational Leadership in Minnesota in the Wake of COVID-19 and the Murder of George Floyd: A Feminist Mixed-Methods Multiple Case Study
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Marci Levy Maguire
This mixed-methods multiple case study through a feminist research lens examined Minnesota K-12 school district leaders’ perceptions of the purposes of education, their roles, and measures used to assess student and system success in the wake of COVID-19 and the murder of George Floyd. The purpose of this study was to examine if and how two of the greatest disruptions to education in Minnesota and American history were likely to lead to lasting changes in: 1) clarifying the purposes of school and K-12 education, 2) aligning measures of accountability and success to those purposes, 3) improving educational equity and social justice in education and society, and 4) reimagining how educational decisions get made and by whom. Research methods included an online survey, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis, with the findings of all methods mixed throughout the analysis. Participants included superintendents, school board chairs, and district assessment coordinators representing diverse geographical regions of Minnesota. Findings illustrated a lack of social justice leadership and democratic decision-making in Minnesota schools, local control systems designed to maintain the status quo, and leader agreement with established purposes of education, but little alignment of leadership action to them. Examining these findings through the lenses of relationships between political economy, ideology, and schooling, critical theory, and feminist theory reveal how Minnesota school district leaders maintain systems that promote dominant ideologies and maintain opportunity and outcome disparities for students and adults, illuminate leverage points for educational reform, and present topics for future research.
Teacher Recruitment and Retainment Challenges Post-COVID-19: A Case Study of K-12 School Districts
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Julie Williams
The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand recruitment and retainment challenges districts faced pre-COVID-19 and changes or additional challenges faced post-COVID-19. Human resources and teaching and learning administrators were interviewed in pairs and discussed challenges their district has faced related to recruitment and retainment of teachers. Using the theoretical framework provided by Bolman and Deal (2017), I analyzed reasons teachers are leaving the profession, impacts their departure has and strategies for retainment. In addition, Bandura offers a theory on self-efficacy that adds additional insight. The impact of recruitment and retainment challenges has an impact on the workforce and will impact student learning. This study gives districts specific strategies to intentionally recruit and retain teachers in impactful ways.
Exploring the Perceptions of Lecturers and Final Year Students about the Infusion of Inclusion in Initial Teacher Education Programmes in South Africa
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Mirna Nel, Nicky Pylmsn, Tanya Bekker, Christa Beyers, Gregory Alexander
South Africa embraced the move to inclusive education after the political transformation in 1994 by subscribing to the international Education for All (EFA) drive initiated in 1990 at the Jomtien World Conference on Education for All. Education White Paper 6 (EWP6) affirms that teachers play a central role in implementing an inclusive education system Training is emphasized as a key strategy to enable educators to become more inclusive in their teaching practices. The focus of this study is on Initial Teacher Education (ITE) for inclusion in the Foundation (Reception to Grade 3) and Intermediate Phases (Grade 4 to 6) of the Baccalaureus Educationis (B Ed) programme. Methods: The primary research aim was: To explore the perceptions of final year students and their lecturers in ITE programmes regarding the preparation of pre-service teachers for teaching in inclusive and diverse learning environments. A qualitative research approach was employed to gain in-depth and rich data. Purposive sampling was used including final year students and their lecturers. Open questionnaires and group interviews were employed as data generation strategies. An inductive thematic analysis shows that the following themes were identified by the participants as critical to be considered in the development and implementation of ITE programmes: Understanding inclusive education, which is also linked to knowledge; the disconnect between theory and practice, the lack of knowledge and practical experience regarding inclusive teaching strategies and how inclusion is addressed in the B Ed curriculum.
