Dr. Julie A Gray

In this paper, the authors describe one leadership preparation program's approach to enhancing ethics and ethical decision-making by embedding high-impact practices and experiential learning opportunities for leadership candidates. The conceptual framework for this research was based on Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory (ELT) and Kuh's High-Impact Practices (HIPs) to connect theory and practice through practical feedback and leadership coaching. Using experiential virtual simulation experiences provided opportunities for Educational Leadership candidates to apply instructional and ethical leadership practices to authentic, problem-based situations in an innovative online educational leadership program. This approach allowed faculty to offer specific growth areas to strengthen and improve aspiring school leaders' ethical decision-making practices. Furthermore, the paper discusses how virtual simulation enhanced candidates' transformation learning process and bridge theory to practice in a virtual reality environment.

In this paper, the authors describe one leadership preparation program’s approach to enhancing ethics and ethical decision-making practices by embedding high impact practices and experiential learning opportunities for leadership candidates. The conceptual framework for this research was based on Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory (ELT) and Kuh’s High-Impact Practices (HIPs) to connect theory and practice through practical feedback and leadership coaching. Using experiential virtual simulation experiences, provided opportunities for Educational Leadership candidates to apply instructional and ethical leadership practices to authentic, problem-based situations in an innovative online educational leadership program.  This approach allowed faculty to offer specific growth areas to strengthen and improve aspiring school leaders’ ethical decision-making practices. Furthermore, the paper discusses how experiential learning through virtual simulation was used to strengthen candidates’ transformation learning process and bridge theory to practice in a virtual reality environment.  

The Central Gulf Coast Children's Defense Fund summer program has provided a solution to the issues related to learning loss and poverty over the last three years. Elementary students were strategically selected from low-income, at-risk, and minority communities to participate in the Freedom Schools program. This study describes the benefits to the students, their families, and the community, as well as the Servant Leader Interns who provided the culturally relevant curriculum. The history, structure, and essential components of Freedom Schools are described for the national model and Central Gulf Coast's approach. The benefits of the program are also shared, as well as the practical implications for the participants in this study.

Schools are facing many issues as a result of the recent pandemic, as well as societal pressures for all students to achieve. There have been unprecedented changes in the educational landscape with a growing concern for students' success and learning loss. Instructional leaders are expected to make innovative changes to meet the instructional needs of all students in K-12 public schools, whether brick-and-mortar or virtual platform. Principals are called to lead their schools and organize the initiatives needed to improve the constantly shifting and complex school environment. The authors will describe the effective efforts of two school leaders who supported innovative changes that resulted in two turnaround schools and addressed student learning loss. As instructional leaders and practitioners in the field, it is essential to support and sustain initiatives that promote student achievement and lessen learning loss.

In this research, the authors describe one principal preparation program's approach to continuous improvement through accreditation processes. The framework for this research was based upon the Leadership-Focused Coaching (LFC) model (Gray, 2016) and a clinical approach to expand and improve an online educational leadership program by using data collected at course and program level. The faculty worked collaboratively to review the following data: certification exam results, as well as survey data from current students, supervising administrators, recent graduates, alumni, and employers. Valuable feedback were gathered and reviewed from the department's advisory council, accrediting state and national organizations, and program curriculum reviews of courses at an annual data retreat and monthly meetings. Finally, the research describes a model that other principal preparation faculty could consider as they work to improve their programs.

The faculty members of a principal preparation program describe their efforts to level the playing field for all students by promoting a more diverse and equitable experience. Through continuous improvement efforts, the program sought to improve course content, curriculum, and instructional approaches to better prepare candidates as future instructional leaders. Based on stakeholder feedback, more high-impact practices (HIPs) were embedded in courses to offer a more engaging experience for students. This paper describes this process and the specific HIPs implemented to effectively prepare candidates for future leadership responsibilities in diverse K-12 schools.

School leaders are facing many challenges in the current public school landscape. Much of the pressure relates to expectations for all students to achieve and experience academic success. Often times, principals are responsible for leading with limited resources and support from their school districts. Instructional leaders may need to consider innovative and creative alternatives to organizational, structural, and cultural issues within their schools. In this paper, two K-12 principals in different regions will share how they turned their schools around to promote more equitable learning and achievement for all students. They will share the innovative approaches taken in turning around their schools under very trying circumstances, as well as the strategies they used to do so.

The Student Learning and Satisfaction in Online Learning Environments (SLS-OLE) is an easy to administer 19-item, self-report measure of student learning and satisfaction in online learning environments. Past studies have reported a measure of four domains of perceived learning and satisfaction associated with their experiences with online learning in higher education. The purpose of this paper was to examine the factor structure of the SLS-OLE with a large sample of graduate students at one university located in the southeastern United States. To assess the fit of the data to the four-factor structure, a confirmatory factor analysis was employed on data collected from 337 participants pursuing an online graduate degree in educational leadership. Results indicate the model adequately fits the data and findings signify that instructor presence is the best predictor of both student satisfaction and perceived learning.

This article details the efforts of one program's collaborative efforts toward continuous improvement and strengthening partnerships with local school districts using Leadership-Focused Coaching, a research-based model for principal preparation programs. Practical experiences and lessons learned from the ongoing online program improvement and redesign initiative are shared. In advance of two accreditation visits, data and feedback were gathered from partner districts, recent graduates, current students, and employers, which helped to identify ways in which the program could better prepare instructional leaders. This article describes the efforts, successes, setbacks, and future plans of a group of professors working to improve a program while preparing for accreditation visits and strengthening district partnerships.