Denying Special Education to Students in Need: A Case of Accountability, Compliance, and Fear in a Texas Elementary School

Accountability policies have impacted school leadership practices both positively and negatively. In Texas, the adoption of a special education accountability policy led many schools and districts to delay or denial of special education to eligible students. This article includes an undisguised case describing the Texas Education Agency’s district performance indicator that influenced districts to lower the percentage of students provided with special education. This case provides the context for a fictional scenario of a newly hired elementary school principal who is pressured to maintain low special education rates by her director supervisor and superintendent. The case explores special education law, top-down accountability, the intersectional identities of vulnerable students and families, and ethical decisions confronted by principals seeking to ensure all students are successful.

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COVID-19, School Leadership in Crisis?

ENDLESS : International Journal of Future Studies ◽

10.54783/endless.v4i2.173 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 332-341

Author(s):

Aslamiah ◽

Muhyani Rizalie ◽

Celia Cinantya ◽

Rizky Amelia

Keyword(s):

Elementary School ◽

Transformational Leadership ◽

Elementary Schools ◽

School Leadership ◽

School Principal ◽

Elementary School Principal ◽

Leadership Strategies ◽

Data Presentation ◽

Analysis Techniques ◽

The Subject

This study aims to describe the pattern and leadership strategies of principals in elementary schools in dealing with the crisis in the Covid-19 pandemic. The method used in this study is qualitatively descriptive. The subject of this study was the principal and teacher at Sabilal Muhtadin Elementary School in Banjarmasin City. The data collection techniques used are interviews, observations, and documentation studies. Test the validity of the data using the triangulation technique. Data analysis uses Miles & Huberman analysis techniques that consist of data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion. This research shows that the principal has a working philosophy that is to work for worship. Strategies implemented in its leadership include transparency, empowerment of teachers and employees, communication, and motivation. The conclusion is that elementary school principal Sabilal Muhtadin is transformational leadership based on Islam. The strategies used for its implementation are transparency, empowerment of teachers and employees, communication, and motivation to maintain excellence when facing crises in the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Leadership, Inclusion, and Quality Education for All

Australasian Journal of Special and Inclusive Education ◽

10.1017/jsi.2018.5 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 42 (01) ◽

pp. 49-64 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Susan Carter ◽

Lindy-Anne Abawi

Keyword(s):

Special Education ◽

School Leadership ◽

Local Community ◽

Shared Vision ◽

School Principal ◽

Quality Education ◽

Inclusive Practices ◽

School Practices ◽

Inclusive School ◽

Multicultural School

The purpose of this research was to investigate leadership facilitating effective inclusive school practices. Data were collected from leaders at a complex multicultural school perceived by the system and local community as an inclusive school with a focus on quality education. A qualitative case study was used and data were collected over a 6-month period of immersion at the research site. Data included semistructured interviews with the head of special education and the school principal, observations of dialogical and behavioural data described within the lead researcher's reflective journal, and the documented operational structure of the school. The findings include insights into what the principal and head of special education believed inclusion to be, and how these leaders worked with staff to embed inclusive practices. The conclusion drawn from the study is that school leadership for inclusion involves making hard decisions. It is a complex and multifaceted act requiring consciously targeted effort, advocacy, and particular ways of leading. Inclusive practices need reinforcing by frequently articulated expectations, support, and acknowledgement that for all stakeholders inclusion is a constant journey toward a shared vision.

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The Influence of Elementary School Leadership in Promoting a Learner-Centered Classroom

Philippine Social Science Journal ◽

10.52006/main.v2i1.56 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 69-82

Author(s):

L Bawm Lwi

Keyword(s):

Elementary School ◽

Transformational Leadership ◽

School Leadership ◽

Professional Learning ◽

Leadership Behaviors ◽

Primary Source ◽

School Principal ◽

Face To Face ◽

Learner Centered ◽

Principal Work

This is a qualitative study which investigated how teachers demonstrate "learner-centered" classroom instruction and how they are influenced by the school principal as a transformational leader in promoting a learner-centered classroom. The respondents were eight participants who were chosen based on their purposive experiences and had been teaching at the Elementary School of Silliman University. Face to face interviews provided the primary method of data collection with the selected teachers comprising the primary source of data. This study shows that teachers' opinions concerning their principal's transformational leadership behaviors are positive in general. The results revealed that the teachers perceive their principal as transformational leadership influential in creating or maintaining a classroom with a "learner-centered" instruction. The findings signify that there is a shift among the teachers from positional leadership to fluid, teamwork, collaborative, and emergent leadership that is spread across teachers. This was evident from the teachers' perspective, which described the leadership as cooperative, supportive, trusting, participatory, democratic decision-making, empowering, shared management, and professional learning communities. In school, therefore, teachers and principal work together to develop effective learner-centered classroom practices, and they study together what things work useful in the classroom.

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School Culture and Educational Leadership

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education ◽

10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.013.678 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Paula kwan ◽

Yi-Lee Wong

Keyword(s):

School Culture ◽

School Leadership ◽

Leadership Practices ◽

School Principal ◽

Mediating Effect ◽

School Structure ◽

Student Culture ◽

And Performance ◽

School Leadership Practices ◽

The Impact

Two commonly researched leadership practices in the education literature—instructional and transformational—can be linked to Schein’s multilevel model on organizational culture. There is a mediating effect of school leadership on the school structure and school culture relationships. The literature related to this subject confirms that the culture of a school, shaped by its principal, affects the competency and capacity of teachers; it also recognizes that school leadership practices affect student academic outcomes. Some studies, however, attempt to understand the impact a school principal can make on its student culture. If school culture is an avenue for understanding the behaviors and performance of school leaders and teachers, then student culture is a platform for understanding the affective and academic performance of students.

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Principal authentic leadership and teacher engagement in Kuwait’s educational reform context

Educational Management Administration & Leadership ◽

10.1177/1741143220957339 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 174114322095733

Author(s):

Ayeshah Ahmed Alazmi ◽

Yasser F. Hendawy Al-Mahdy

Keyword(s):

Educational Reform ◽

School Leadership ◽

Primary Schools ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Authentic Leadership ◽

Survey Design ◽

School Principal ◽

Western Society ◽

Teacher Engagement ◽

School Leadership Practices

Scholars have asserted that a school principal’s authentic leadership can raise the engagement of teachers under their charge. This paper delves into this consideration, within the context of Kuwaiti educational reform, by investigating the extent to which principal authentic leadership (PAL) affects teacher engagement (TE) by enhancing their occupational self-efficacy (OSE). The study used a non-experimental, predictive survey design, obtaining data from 333 teachers in 25 primary schools in Kuwait. The study tested a set of hypotheses drawn from a conceptualized model developed from previous research studies using structural equation modelling (SEM). Results indicated the validation of this model describing how PAL affects teacher OSE and TE. Data analysis from this study indicated that PAL has a significant, positive effect upon TE, as does OSE. Furthermore, OSE mediates the relationship between PAL and TE. These findings contribute to our understanding for the effects of authentic leadership in Kuwait. As such, this study offers insight into how Kuwaiti policymakers may improve and support school leadership practices to realize the aims of the nation’s educational reform goals. Additionally, this study builds upon, and extends, the foundations established in earlier research endeavours regarding school principal leadership within centralized education systems and outside Western society.

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