Heartbreak, Spirit, and Hope: Leading a School in the Throes and Aftermath of a School Crisis

Abstract

Traumatic school events can be devastating, unpredictable, and complex. Therefore, underscoring the critical need to examine and conceptualize the factors that influence school leaders’ decision making in the midst and aftermath of a significant school crisis. This qualitative study employs autoethnography and narrative inquiry as frameworks to research implications of three Hawai’i school leaders’ decision-making based on the analysis of the participants’ and author’s stories told through open ended interviews. The research questions explore a school leader’s (1) decision making process in response to a school crisis; (2) experience with school community members during a school crisis; (3) ethical dilemmas during a school crisis; (4) preparedness for a school crisis, and; (5) professional and personal implications in relation to their unique school crisis. Participants were purposefully selected based on their professional capacity as Hawai‘i Department of Education (DOE) public school leaders and experiences with a significant school crisis. Key themes emerge from the analysis of school leaders’ stories that tell of their heartbreak, spirit, and hope relative to their decision-making. Findings show that the study’s participants and the author identified the safety and well-being of students as primary factors that influenced their decision-making. Ethical dilemmas, school community members, and the lack of formal training also impacted their decisions. Results of this study may help to inform decision making practices of educational practitioners. It may also serve as a catalyst for establishing policies and training opportunities related to crisis preparedness, response, and recovery in order to promote school safety and increase a school leader’s capacity to lead effectively through school crises.