Managing School in Times of Pandemic: Prospect for Leadership Dynamics in Education

Edna P. Calma

School heads are now in the most challenging time of their instructional leadership career. When schools are heavily challenged in sustaining education amid the pandemic, school heads face the challenge for sound decisions and leadership to continue.

Effective school leadership always starts with an in-depth situational analysis of the integral resources for operation. It also provides contingency measures if plans fail or not executed as they should be. In this time of the pandemic, school leaders need to recalibrate instructional practice by suiting it with the present needs of learners and the situation at large.

One of the biggest concerns of school leaders nowadays is how to provide conducive learning environments on the various learning delivery modalities (LDMs) that learners preferred. Making all stakeholders (e.g., teachers, parents, learners, community officials, private partners) involved and involved in the decision-making and implementation processes make the school more responsive and adaptive to emerging issues. Orienting them on the new normal in education provides more opportunities to assign tasks, solicit support, and execute the LDMs with fewer hassles.

In this trying time, learners need not only be educated but make them aware and responsive to local and global issues that may affect them. More so, the learners' emotional and mental wellness shall also be nourished. Though learners’ achievement is essential, their wellbeing also posits a need for nourishment. Teachers and parents as partners of the school in educating, monitoring, and supervising learners in today’s interim LDMs need also full support as they faced the most challenging task in the field.

Support continuously flow among schools through the help of partners and sponsors, either from public or private sectors. Though donations and assistance are flowing, there are still problems that need massive support, such as financing the production of learning materials, gadgets for online classes, among others. Bombarded with these challenges are the school heads. Not all schools are capable of producing the needed resources to sustain education with the little budget they receive from the Department of Education (DepEd) itself.

Hence, school leadership in this pandemic season should be dynamic by being open to changes; creating opportunities; responding ingeniously to problems; being transparent; promoting creativity, innovation, and brainstorming; increasing adaptability and productivity; recognizing and rewarding stakeholders; and providing flexible learning and teaching arrangements.

The schools are at their vulnerable and difficult stage today, making them prone to managerial and leadership backlashes. But through dynamic school leadership embracing challenges, promoting shared responsibility, and transforming operations responsibly, any adversity can be addressed with finesse.

--oOo-

The author is Master Teacher I at San Pablo 2nd NHS