Essence of adaptive leadership in the new normal

Bernadette V. Lerit

Educational leaders play a pivotal role in leading educational institutions, however largely unexplored their experiences are especially in light of the context of the current COVID-19 crisis.

There are different educational leadership practices during a crisis, which include navigating the crisis with adaptive leadership; cultivating practices in crisis management; managing through the machine; freezing the standards and patterns; promoting inclusivity in the new normal; and caring first for what is essential.

There is a present scarcity of knowledge on how school leaders respond in times of crisis, and there is a need to provide insights into educational leadership practices within the context of the COVID-19 situation.

Despite efforts to assist educational leaders during difficult times, educational leadership is fraught with many challenges, encountering problems such as budget shortage and social divides – and they are not aware of the best solution.

There is no neat guidebook for educational leadership in such difficult times, and educational leadership practices based on experience in the context of crisis is an unexplored territory that needs to be written as a part of the present history.

Because of the pandemic, educational leadership has been transformed to an extent that is largely different from the ‘old normal’in leadership. This is not necessarily a negative impression, but one that indicates the dynamism of educational leadership as a practice.

Is there now a need for scholars to reconsider educational leadership preparation programs to be relevant to the current situation? It should emphasize the development of essential skills related to adaptive leadership, crisis management, and technology integration.

In breaking customs, there is an emerging trend of leadership practices becoming more humanitarian than ever, so it is suggested for practitioners to reflect upon these leadership practices by easing idealisms as needed, fostering inclusive education, and placing a priority on human needs. *****

The author is Public Schools District Supervisor at Mexico North District (SDO Pampanga)