Education Commons^™

An Educational Leader’S E-Mails To The Parents During Covid-19 Pandemic, Bilgen Kiral, Corinne Brion

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

This study was conducted to determine what kinds of e-mails an education leader (school principal) sent to the parents of the students at the beginning, during, and end of the term during the COVID-19 pandemic process. In this study, the expression “educational leader” was used instead of the school principal.

The reason for this is that the school principal fully assumes the role of educational leadership during the pandemic period. The subject of the study is the transformation process in communication due to the pandemic. This transformation is e-mails, one of the digital communication tools that aim to reach everyone …

The Experience Of A White Professor Teaching Diversity Courses In The Midwest, Corinne Brion

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Facilitators of diversity courses in higher education institutions face multiple challenges because these courses are emotionally charged for students and facilitators alike. To date, there is a limited number of recent papers that focus on the reflections of professors from the dominant culture who teach diversity online and face-to-face graduate courses. The present paper fills this gap by describing the experiences of a White, French assistant professor in the Midwest of the United States. This paper also provides recommendations for practitioners.

The Centrality Of Social-Emotional Learning For Educators During Crisis: The Role Of The Principal, Corinne Brion, Alison Bachowski

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Social-emotional learning (SEL) is crucial to human development because SEL helps us maintain supportive relationships and make responsible and caring decisions. This qualitative

study aimed at understanding how, if at all, public school educators looked after their social- emotional health in times of crisis, during COVID-19. The sample consisted of 24 educators in

three school districts in a Midwestern state of the United States. Findings indicated that participants used several strategies to take care of their emotional health. These strategies included making time for non-school related activities, connecting with colleagues, engaging in small acts of kindness, and providing professional development …

The Impact Of Culture On Learning Transfer In Burkina Faso And Ghana, Corinne Brion

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Culture is a predominant force in people’s lives that impacts learning and thus culture influences learning transfer. Because working across nations has become the norm and every year billions of dollars are spent on professional learning around the world, it is crucial for organisations to understand the role culture plays in the learning transfer process. Using a multidimensional model of learning transfer and the six dimensions of national culture model as conceptual frameworks, this qualitative study used a case study approach to examine the impact of culture on learning transfer in Burkina Faso and Ghana, West Africa. Interviews were conducted …

The Centrality Of Cultural Considerations In Facilitating Training For Adults, Corinne Brion

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Teaching and learning are social and cultural activities. Across cultures people have different ways of communicating, interacting, and learning. Consequently, learning may not occur without understanding the role national cultures play on organizing and facilitating training events. This study is part of a larger study that took place over a period of six years, from 2013 to 2019, in West Africa. Using Hofstede et al., (2010) Six Cultural Dimensions model as a conceptual framework, this paper sought to examine the extent to which factors of national culture influences the facilitation of professional learning among school principals in two West African …

Cultural Proficiency: The Necessary Link To Family Engagement, Corinne Brion

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Although family engagement is crucial to student and community outcomes, schools often alienate families who are not part of the dominant culture. As a result, school leaders need to become culturally proficient to systematically engage all families equitably regardless of their race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and other cultural identifiers. This teaching case study raises issues related to cultural proficiency and family engagement. To help current and future educational leaders foster family engagement, I provide a cultural proficiency for family and community engagement framework. I also pose questions designed to trigger conversations and find practical solutions related to equitable family engagement.

A Journey Towards Cultural Proficiency: Lessons Learned From Africa, Corinne Brion

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

This autoethnography tells my story as a French American woman who lives in the United States and worked with hundreds of school leaders in five African countries over a period of six years. Using a cultural proficiency continuum, I illustrate my learning and changing frames of references pertaining to cultural differences. Movement along the continuum indicates an alteration in thinking that progresses from marginalization to inclusivity. My experiences, mistakes, and lessons learned contribute to the discourse on cultural difference. For six years, I spent more time on the African continent than in my American home. These extended stays allowed me …

Using A Culturally Proficient Leadership Lens To Effectively Serve Refugee Students, Corinne Brion

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

This teaching case study takes place in an American middle school and tells the story of Dorah, a refugee student from the Republic of Congo who experienced severe trauma. At Lincoln Middle School, the principal and her teachers encounter difficulties serving their refugee students adequately because of their lack of cultural proficiency. This case aims to help leaders in diverse contexts understand how to embrace and advocate for different cultures, beliefs, and norms to increase the cultural wealth of their communities. To achieve this goal, I provide a cultural proficiency model and a trauma-invested framework.

A Bottom-Up Approach To Improve Women’S Access To Technical And Vocational Education And Training In India: Examining A Non-Formal Education Upskilling Programme, Matthew A. Witenstein, Radhika Iyengar

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

The Indian Government’s 12th Five Year Plan features ambitious goals regarding the upskilling of women in India. While the Plan acknowledges Indian women’s continued inequality, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) programmes (a main avenue for upskilling) pose considerable challenges. There is significant work to be done if India aspires to meet the 12th Plan’s goals. Moreover, to achieve them in a socially just manner, greater efforts are required to include and amplify women’s voices throughout the process. In pursuit of this aim, the authors of this research note share insights from the first stages of their study of …

Leading In Times Of Crisis, Corinne Brion

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Defining what a crisis is can be challenging because the definition may vary based on information such as who the person defining it is and the context in which this person resides or learns. Educators and community members may argue that their educational organizations have always been in crisis depending on where their schools are located, their schools’ resources, and their students’ learning outcomes and well-being. Thus, for these communities it may be difficult to pinpoint how and when a crisis hits.

In this case study, the author defines crisis as, any situation that disrupts the education and training process …

Trauma-Informed Leadership, Corinne Brion

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

According to recent data, over 34 million students have experienced at least one or more types of serious childhood trauma. As a result, current and prospective school leaders urgently need to develop trauma-driven skills and abilities in order to create safe schools for all students and raise academic outcomes. This teaching case study raises issues related to trauma experienced among students and its impact on students and school improvement. The author discusses one case in a fictitious district that is representative of the kind of traumas many other American schools face. I also provide additional resources for practitioners.

Marianist Educational Associates: Advancing And Promoting The Mission Of Catholic And Marianist Universities, Corinne Brion, Allison P. Leigh

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Preparing employees to become stewards of the Marianist values and charisms has become a priority at a Marianist institution because employees impact the institution’s environment and faculty and staff directly impact student learning. To date, there is a lack of research conducted among employees of a Marianist institution on how new understandings of institutional mission get transferred to their jobs. Additionally, there is a lack of empirical studies that examine what enhances and hinders the transfer of such understanding. Using the Multidimensional Model of Learning Transfer as a theoretical framework, the purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the …

Creating Intentionally Inviting School Cultures During Crisis, Corinne Brion

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

This qualitative study used Purkey and Novack’s (1988) Invitational Education as a conceptual framework to understand how 30 educational leaders in Ohio’s urban and suburban districts created intentionally inviting school cultures during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Findings indicated that leaders altered their leadership styles to focus on people rather than programs and policies in order to be more inviting. Challenges pertained to insufficient funding to provide professional development for teachers and parents and the need for more mobile devices and connectivity. This study is significant because it expands the invitational education framework to show how leaders are being intentionally inviting …

The Use Of Culturally Proficient Professional Development To Enhance Learning Transfer, Corinne Brion

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

The National Staff Development Council recommends that principals devote 10% of the school budget and 25% of teacher time to professional development (PD). While PD requires time, it is crucial that the time be organized, carefully structured, and purposefully led to avoid the waste of human and financial resources. Despite the millions of dollars spent on professional development nationally, student learning outcomes continue to stagnate or dwindle, discipline issues continue to skyrocket, and teacher moral plummets. This may be due, in part, to leaders paying little attention to learning transfer. Culture plays a key role in one’s ability to learn …

Changing Cultural Norms Through Educational Leadership: Voices From Ghanaian Women Principals, Corinne Brion, A. Ampah-Mensah

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

The purpose of this phenomenology study was to understand the experiences of women principals located in Komenda Edina Eguafo Abrem (KEEA) district of the Central Region of Ghana, a patriarchal and traditional society. Specifically, this study examined how cultural factors positively or negatively influenced women access to the principal role and influenced their leadership experiences. Using Hofstede et al.’s (2010) six dimensions of national culture as a conceptual framework, this study elucidates the experiences of 12 women school leaders. Findings revealed that these women navigated cultural norms and beliefs in order to exercise their own leadership style and pursue their …

Building Emotionally Resilient Schools And Educators During Crises, Corinne Brion

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Teaching is one of the most stressful occupations in the U.S (Gallup, 2014). Stress affects teachers’ health and well-being, job satisfaction, job turnover, and student outcomes (Greenberg et al., 2016). Possessing and using social and emotional skills is necessary to regulate stress, maintain healthy personal and professional lives, and thrive as teachers and leaders (Jennings & Greenberg, 2009; Jennings, 2015). Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is key to human development because it is “the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective …

Covid-19 Crisis Management Strategies And Challenges Of Educational Leaders In America, Corinne Brion, Bilgen Kiral

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

This research was conducted to understand how 30 American school leaders managed during the COVID-19 pandemic. This qualitative study used a case study approach. The researchers utilized a convenience and snowball sampling to conduct Zoom interviews in May 2020. The research findings revealed that leaders encountered numerous difficulties related to having to lead during two crises (a global pandemic and social-racial issues). Findings also indicated that leaders altered their style and used many strategies to lead in times of crises: They emphasized communication, became stress managers and cheer leaders, focused on developing a sense of belonging among teachers and students …