Responsibility, stress and the well-being of school principals: how principals engaged in self-care during the COVID-19 crisis

Abstract

PurposeThis study centers the reflections of principals across the USA as they navigated the overwhelming stress of closing and reopening schools during a global pandemic. Specifically, the authors explored how school principals addressed self-care and their own well-being during the pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThis research study is part of a broader qualitative study conducted by 20 scholars from across the USA in Spring 2020 and organized by the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE). This national research team conducted 120 qualitative interviews with public school principals in 19 different states and 100 districts. As part of this team, the authors coded and analyzed all 120 transcripts in NVivo using a self-care framework.FindingsThe responses from the participants capture some of the complexity of self-care during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors found evidence of both negative and positive sentiments towards self-care that will be described in five major themes. For the tensions with self-care, the authors developed two primary themes: leaders eat last and keep from falling off the cliff. For the demonstrations of self-care, the authors also developed three primary themes: release the endorphins, people need people and unplug from work.Originality/valueAlthough researchers have identified the stressors and reactions of principals during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, little is known on how principals engaged in self-care practices. This study aims to identify these self-care practices and offer recommendations for principals.

Moral Distress Amongst District Leaders: Intensity, Dilemmas, and Coping Mechanisms in the Context of Covid-19

“…For example, at the time we write this sentence, only two articles in Educational Administration Quarterly mention the pandemic ( Dei & Adhami, 2022 ; McHenry-Sorber et al, 2021 ). Nonetheless, there is evidence of administrative angst: self-care practices of principals during Covid-19 suggest that “leaders eat last” and sought to “keep from falling off the cliff” ( Hayes et al, 2022 , p. 403). Shaked and Benoliel (2022) and Longmuir (2021) found that school leaders increased the time spent with internal and external stakeholders because of the pandemic's challenges and the ways that it disrupted the everyday work of schools.…”

Stressors faced by principals, ways of coping with stress and leadership experiences during the COVID -19 pandemic

“…The COVID-19 pandemic, which started in late 2019 and set the world on alert, has led to the greatest interruption in education to date and shattered schools and all the related processes worldwide. Arguably uncertainty brings about stress for the relevant parties (Wells and Klocko, 2018), there upon it would be fair to state that school principals have all undergone a highly stressful period as the key agents of their schools during the COVID-19 pandemic (Hayes et al , 2022). Although the professional world of principals is characterized by plentiful challenges like long working hours, unexpected problems, increased student and administrative issues and it involves plenty of sources of stress (Mahfouz, 2018; Wells and Klocko, 2018; Yan, 2020), the pandemic has impacted the lives of school principals not only in professional means but also in terms of their well-being and mental health (Harris and Jones, 2020).…”

Pandemic memoranda: how school district and teachers' union administrators modified collective bargaining agreements during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Studies have also examined how school administrators handle crises like natural disasters (Beabout, 2010;Fletcher and Nicholas, 2016;Mutch, 2015) and the COVID-19 pandemic (Hayes et al, 2022;Kaul et al, 2020;Reyes-Guerra et al, 2021). In addition, researchers have explored how school administrators balanced different stakeholders' demands (e.g.…”

“…Studies have also examined how school administrators handle crises like natural disasters (Beabout, 2010; Fletcher and Nicholas, 2016; Mutch, 2015) and the COVID-19 pandemic (Hayes et al. , 2022; Kaul et al.…”