Hopeful Visions of Tomorrow: Learning from Leaders of Today’s Virtual Schools

David Gustafson; Md Mahbubul Haque

doi:doi:10.11648/j.edu.20221102.15

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Hopeful Visions of Tomorrow: Learning from Leaders of Today’s Virtual Schools

David Gustafson, Md Mahbubul Haque

Published in Education Journal (Volume 11, Issue 2)

Received: 18 March 2022 Accepted: 7 April 2022 Published: 20 April 2022

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Abstract

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic affected many dimensions of our lives, including the world of education. Virtual education continues to be a viable solution not only during a pandemic lockdown, but also as a support to facilitate learning in a preferred, uniquely individualized setting. As one of the fastest growing educational options for students in the United States, many states now offer a wide range of full-time, part-time, and enrichment virtual options for students and families in search of an alternative to the traditional model of education. While many virtual school leaders face similar challenges to their brick-and-mortar counterparts, leading in a virtual environment appears to present some unique challenges. In spite of the increase in virtual program options and enrollment, limited research has been conducted on how virtual school principals lead their organizations. As the popularity of virtual options increase, there is a need to examine effective leadership practices in these innovative schools. The purpose of this study was to explore the challenges of virtual school principals and how they demonstrated effective leadership practices in the schools they lead. In particular, this study investigated how these personal and professional experiences influenced these principals and the overall quality of their schools.

Published in	Education Journal (Volume 11, Issue 2)
DOI	10.11648/j.edu.20221102.15
Page(s)	75-78
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Online Learning, Virtual School, Leadership, Virtual School Principal, COVID-19

References

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[2]	Watson, J., Pape, L., Murin, A., Gemin, B., & Vashaw, L. (2014). Keeping pace with K-12 digital learning: An annual review of policy and practice (11th ed.). Evergreen Education Group. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED558147.pdf
[3]	National Center for Education Statistics. (2014). Table 1. Number of virtual schools, by school type, charter status, magnet status, shared-time status, and state: School year 2013-14. Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/tables/201314_Virtual_Schools_table_1.asp
[4]	Wallace Foundation. (2013). The school principal as leader: Guiding schools to better teaching and learning. http://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/Documents/The-School-Principal-as-Leader-Guiding-Schools-to-Better-Teaching-and-Learning-2nd-Ed.pdf
[5]	Reeves, D. B. (2008). Leading to change: The leadership challenge in literacy. Educational Leadership, 65 (7), 91–92.
[6]	Sebastian, J., & Allensworth, E. (2012). The influence of principal leadership on classroom instruction and student learning: A study of mediated pathways to learning. Educational Administration Quarterly, 48 (4), 626–663.
[7]	Gentilucci, J. L., & Muto, C. C. (2007). Principals’ influence on academic achievement: The student perspective. National Association of Secondary School Principals Bulletin, 91 (3), 219–236.
[8]	Bennett, D. D., & Bennett, R. H. (2019). Leadership traits among effective virtual school leaders. Journal of Leadership, Accountability, & Ethics, 16 (4), 10–19. https://doi.org/10.33423/jlae.v16i4.2366
[9]	McLeod, S., & Richardson, J. W. (2011). The dearth of technology coverage. Journal of School Leadership, 21 (2), 216–240. https://www.learntechlib.org/p/51371/
[10]	Maitlis, S. (2005). The social processes of organizational sensemaking. Academy of Management Journal, 48 (1), 21–49. https://doi.org/10.2307/20159639
[11]	Gray, B., Stensaker, I. G., & Jansen, K. J. (2012). Qualitative challenges for complexifying organizational change research: Context, voice, and time. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 48 (2), 121–134.
[12]	Boyatzis, R. (1998). Transforming qualitative information: Thematic analysis and code development. Sage.
[13]	Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook. (2nd ed.). Sage.

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David Gustafson, Md Mahbubul Haque. (2022). Hopeful Visions of Tomorrow: Learning from Leaders of Today’s Virtual Schools. Education Journal, 11(2), 75-78. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.edu.20221102.15

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David Gustafson; Md Mahbubul Haque. Hopeful Visions of Tomorrow: Learning from Leaders of Today’s Virtual Schools. Educ. J. 2022, 11(2), 75-78. doi: 10.11648/j.edu.20221102.15

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AMA Style

David Gustafson, Md Mahbubul Haque. Hopeful Visions of Tomorrow: Learning from Leaders of Today’s Virtual Schools. Educ J. 2022;11(2):75-78. doi: 10.11648/j.edu.20221102.15

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@article{10.11648/j.edu.20221102.15,
  author = {David Gustafson and Md Mahbubul Haque},
  title = {Hopeful Visions of Tomorrow: Learning from Leaders of Today’s Virtual Schools},
  journal = {Education Journal},
  volume = {11},
  number = {2},
  pages = {75-78},
  doi = {10.11648/j.edu.20221102.15},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.edu.20221102.15},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.edu.20221102.15},
  abstract = {The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic affected many dimensions of our lives, including the world of education. Virtual education continues to be a viable solution not only during a pandemic lockdown, but also as a support to facilitate learning in a preferred, uniquely individualized setting. As one of the fastest growing educational options for students in the United States, many states now offer a wide range of full-time, part-time, and enrichment virtual options for students and families in search of an alternative to the traditional model of education. While many virtual school leaders face similar challenges to their brick-and-mortar counterparts, leading in a virtual environment appears to present some unique challenges. In spite of the increase in virtual program options and enrollment, limited research has been conducted on how virtual school principals lead their organizations. As the popularity of virtual options increase, there is a need to examine effective leadership practices in these innovative schools. The purpose of this study was to explore the challenges of virtual school principals and how they demonstrated effective leadership practices in the schools they lead. In particular, this study investigated how these personal and professional experiences influenced these principals and the overall quality of their schools.},
 year = {2022}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Hopeful Visions of Tomorrow: Learning from Leaders of Today’s Virtual Schools
AU  - David Gustafson
AU  - Md Mahbubul Haque
Y1  - 2022/04/20
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Author Information

David Gustafson

Amistad High School, Desert Sands Unified School District, Indio, USA
Md Mahbubul Haque

LaFetra College of Education, University of La Verne, La Verne, USA

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APA Style

David Gustafson, Md Mahbubul Haque. (2022). Hopeful Visions of Tomorrow: Learning from Leaders of Today’s Virtual Schools. Education Journal, 11(2), 75-78. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.edu.20221102.15

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ACS Style

David Gustafson; Md Mahbubul Haque. Hopeful Visions of Tomorrow: Learning from Leaders of Today’s Virtual Schools. Educ. J. 2022, 11(2), 75-78. doi: 10.11648/j.edu.20221102.15

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AMA Style

David Gustafson, Md Mahbubul Haque. Hopeful Visions of Tomorrow: Learning from Leaders of Today’s Virtual Schools. Educ J. 2022;11(2):75-78. doi: 10.11648/j.edu.20221102.15

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.edu.20221102.15,
  author = {David Gustafson and Md Mahbubul Haque},
  title = {Hopeful Visions of Tomorrow: Learning from Leaders of Today’s Virtual Schools},
  journal = {Education Journal},
  volume = {11},
  number = {2},
  pages = {75-78},
  doi = {10.11648/j.edu.20221102.15},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.edu.20221102.15},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.edu.20221102.15},
  abstract = {The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic affected many dimensions of our lives, including the world of education. Virtual education continues to be a viable solution not only during a pandemic lockdown, but also as a support to facilitate learning in a preferred, uniquely individualized setting. As one of the fastest growing educational options for students in the United States, many states now offer a wide range of full-time, part-time, and enrichment virtual options for students and families in search of an alternative to the traditional model of education. While many virtual school leaders face similar challenges to their brick-and-mortar counterparts, leading in a virtual environment appears to present some unique challenges. In spite of the increase in virtual program options and enrollment, limited research has been conducted on how virtual school principals lead their organizations. As the popularity of virtual options increase, there is a need to examine effective leadership practices in these innovative schools. The purpose of this study was to explore the challenges of virtual school principals and how they demonstrated effective leadership practices in the schools they lead. In particular, this study investigated how these personal and professional experiences influenced these principals and the overall quality of their schools.},
 year = {2022}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Hopeful Visions of Tomorrow: Learning from Leaders of Today’s Virtual Schools
AU  - David Gustafson
AU  - Md Mahbubul Haque
Y1  - 2022/04/20
PY  - 2022
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.edu.20221102.15
DO  - 10.11648/j.edu.20221102.15
T2  - Education Journal
JF  - Education Journal
JO  - Education Journal
SP  - 75
EP  - 78
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2327-2619
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.edu.20221102.15
AB  - The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic affected many dimensions of our lives, including the world of education. Virtual education continues to be a viable solution not only during a pandemic lockdown, but also as a support to facilitate learning in a preferred, uniquely individualized setting. As one of the fastest growing educational options for students in the United States, many states now offer a wide range of full-time, part-time, and enrichment virtual options for students and families in search of an alternative to the traditional model of education. While many virtual school leaders face similar challenges to their brick-and-mortar counterparts, leading in a virtual environment appears to present some unique challenges. In spite of the increase in virtual program options and enrollment, limited research has been conducted on how virtual school principals lead their organizations. As the popularity of virtual options increase, there is a need to examine effective leadership practices in these innovative schools. The purpose of this study was to explore the challenges of virtual school principals and how they demonstrated effective leadership practices in the schools they lead. In particular, this study investigated how these personal and professional experiences influenced these principals and the overall quality of their schools.
VL  - 11
IS  - 2
ER  -

Copy | Download