UC San Diego

Little is documented in the literature about the leadership practices of principals during times of crisis. This study used semi-structured interviews and document collection methods to broaden understandings of principals' decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the study aims to highlight the novel challenges faced by principals during the pandemic, how they responded to these challenges, and who and what they prioritized as they made decisions. The findings suggest that these principals experienced instructional, student, and communication challenges between March 2020 through June 2022. This study highlights the way these principals engaged in human-centered leadership which considers the needs of the people in the school system while also ensuring goals and tasks are completed. This has implications for policy and social justice where school administrators must exercise leadership beyond the instructional and highlights how actions can positively impact equity and access to curriculum for marginalized students.