“A Change Is Gonna Come:” How K-12 Principals Supported Their Teachers in the COVID Transition and Return to In-Person Instruction

The abrupt switch to online teaching necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic sent shock waves through K-12 classrooms for administrators, teachers, students, and parents. Now they are experiencing the stresses of a return to the physical classroom with heightened concerns for maintaining health and safety. In-depth interviews of 10 K-12 Arizona principals were conducted to understand their experiences regarding: 1) challenges of preparing teachers and students for the switch to all-online instruction, 2) strategies they employed to support teachers and students in managing the stress of this sudden instructional transition, 3) specific strategies to manage a safe transition back to in-person teaching and learning. Implications for sustaining a return to the post-COVID classroom will be shared.

Mary Dereshiwsky
Northern Arizona University

Mary I. Dereshiwsky is a Professor of Educational Leadership and Research at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, with 24 doctoral credit hours in applied quantitative methods. Mary has developed and teaches online courses in introduction to educational research, research design, qualitative research. In addition, she serves on doctoral dissertation committees as chair, co-chair or member. Mary enjoys mentoring doctoral students in the presentation and publication process. Her own publication and presentation interests include designing effective online learning spaces, mentoring and evaluating online faculty, and effective student engagement practices in online instruction.

Michael Schwanenberger
Northern Arizona University

Laura Sujo-Montes
Northern Arizona University

“A Change Is Gonna Come:” How K-12 Principals Supported Their Teachers in the COVID Transition and Return to In-Person Instruction

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