Successful School Leadership in Times of COVID-19 Pandemic: Fostering Resilience in Teachers and Schools in Poland

Abstract

This paper analyses the successful school principals’ leadership practices in supporting school and teachers’ resilience in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The research reported in this paper asks the question: what are the successful leaders’ main ways of supporting resilience in schools and teachers in Poland for maximising the possible positive outcomes of remote education in times of the COVID-19 pandemic? Drawing on five case studies, the paper shows seven core successful school leadership practices – sustaining education service delivery and innovations; planning in a context of uncertainty and responding to changes in national policy; re-framing and extending “Health & Safety” policies based on health and education data; leadership across the school; provision of an inclusive curriculum; inclusive partnership with children’s families; and teachers’ motivation, commitment and professional development. The paper concludes with implications for further research and with questions on school principals’ role in building back more resilient education systems.