Principal Perspectives on School Staffing Struggles: Finding from the 2022 Learn Together Survey. American Educator Panels. Research Report. RR-A827-14

In this report, a nationally representative sample of kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) public school principals were asked about their experiences with covering classrooms and hiring staff. In the spring of the 2021-2022 school year, which coincided with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) omicron variant surge, most principals struggled to keep classrooms consistently staffed and many reported that hiring had become more challenging since the previous school year. Principals indicated that a lack of substitute teachers -- not an increase in open teaching positions -- was the main reason for classroom coverage shortages. In addition to day-to-day coverage issues, most principals reported that teacher vacancies were on the rise. Most of these principals believed that vacancies had grown more difficult to fill than in the prior school year, largely because of declining applicant counts. Principals' preferences when hiring teachers lend further insight into potential drivers of hiring challenges. A large majority of principals expressed strong preferences for like-minded teachers whose mindsets aligned with the vision and culture of the schools. Few principals prioritized the diversity of the educator workforce at their schools.

Getting Students to (and Through) Advanced Math: Where Course Offerings and Content Are Not Adding Up. American Educator Panels. Research Report. RR-A827-10

This report uses Spring 2022 data from nationally representative surveys of principals and math teachers in kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) to explore students' opportunities to prepare for and take advanced math. The authors found that small high schools, high schools in rural areas, and high schools that predominantly serve students from historically marginalized communities tend to offer fewer advanced math courses (e.g., precalculus, Advanced Placement math courses) and that uneven access to advanced math begins in middle school. K-12 teachers who work in schools that predominately serve students living in poverty are more likely to report skipping standards-aligned content and replacing the skipped content with concepts from previous grade levels. Also, more than half of K-12 math teachers said they need additional support for delivering high-quality math instruction, especially teachers who work in schools that serve predominantly high-poverty students. In the wake of the disproportionate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on students living in poverty and students of color, these results highlight a critical need for resources to support teachers and to increase student access to advanced courses. [For technical information about the surveys and analysis in this report, see "Learn Together Surveys. 2022 Technical Documentation and Survey Results. Research Report. RR-A827-9" (ED626092).]

The relationship leadership style and job burnout have on turnover intention among Texas high school principals during the COVID-19 global pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a public health crisis impacting every aspect of the world. Within education, this crisis caused leaders to navigate through unknown territory. Researchers were overwhelmed seeking to identify effective school leadership before the COVID-19 pandemic. The health crisis has unleashed a host of challenges for supporting leaders of all levels of public schools. Burnout could be a factor leading to high school principal turnover during the pandemic, but also leadership styles may affect high school principals' intention to leave their posts. While the value of transformational campus leadership is known, and there are current surveys to gather job burnout and turnover intention, there is a gap between connecting the three constructs. The purpose of this study was to determine the predictive relationship leadership style and job burnout have on turnover intention among Texas high school principals during the COVID-19 global pandemic. This study design was a quantitative survey non-experimental correlational approach. Surveys were distributed to principals through the Texas Association of School Administrators, and all responses were anonymous. The data analysis involved logistic regression for the independent variables of burnout and leadership style predicting the dichotomous turnover intention dependent variable. The overall model was not significant based on an alpha of .05, chi2(4) = 3.54, p = .471, suggesting that the leadership styles More Transformational than Norm, More Transactional than Norm, More Passive-Avoidant than Norm, and Job Burnout did not have a significant effect on the odds of observing the Desire to Stay category of Turnover Intention. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

School Principals' Experiences and Learning from the Covid-19 Pandemic in Norway

This exploratory study present findings from semi-structured interviews with 15 Norwegian school principals elaborating on their experiences and learning from the school closures, transition to digital education, and educational leadership in the first six months of the pandemic. Three main themes emerged from the interviews: (1) "We took a quantum leap into the digital world” addressing how the school principals supported and experienced a rapid transformation to digital education;(2) "We tried to be close, even if we could not be” elaborating on worries regarding teachers and children with special needs;and (3) "We had to adjust” elaborating on the unpredictable and constantly changing nature of the situation. These themes are detailed and discussed in the context of research in crisis management, organizational change, role requirements, and leadership responsibilities. In closing, we discuss how the transformative experiences from the pandemic may have implications for educational leadership in future crisis situations.

Understanding and Addressing the Well-Being of School Counselors

Diminished self-care practices and heightened stress of school counselors are continuing problems in education. With role ambiguity, high student-to-counselor ratios, emotional exhaustion, and other factors adding pressure to the roles and responsibilities of school counselors, this study investigated the well-being practiced of Missouri school counselors and the internal and external factors which influence them. Findings demonstrate several ways in which school counselors fail to meet basic well-being benchmarks, examples of positive school principal supports, and systemic counselor role ambiguity, mission creep, and high caseloads that contribute to stress and burnout. These results indicate three levels of decision-making that are paramount to school counselors achieving and sustaining healthy well-being practices--the individual counselor's role in self-care and professional advocacy;the school leader's approach to defining the counselor's role and promoting a healthy workplace culture;and the ways in which policymakers affect systemic change.

The Whole Story: A Black Principal's Experience with Race, Racism, and Racial Trauma

Principal Harris, a new Black male principal at Merion High School, has found himself under fire for allegedly promoting critical race theory (CRT). He has received several forms of pushback as he navigates district and state mandates, racial trauma, invisible taxes, and microaggressions. Unfortunately, his best intentions are not good enough. This case is designed to display the various factors Black principals face in schools and districts amid ongoing public health crises (e.g., COVID-19 and racism). I describe the layered role of race, racism, and racial trauma on Principal Harris through his reflections and responses to stakeholders.

The lived experiences of principals in the northeast United States in supporting the social-emotional wellbeing of their school community during the COVID-19 pandemic

This study investigated the lived experiences of (12) elementary and middle school principals in the Northeast United States throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. In light of the emergency COVID-19 guidelines that have been implemented across schools in the United States, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand how principals support the social-emotional wellbeing of their school community and make emergency policy decisions during crisis. Through virtual interviews, elementary and middle school principals shared their unique perspectives around the perceived impact that COVID-19 emergency guidelines had on their schools, actions they took to support their schools' socio-emotionally, and the ways in which they made decisions around emergency policy. The study revealed that leaders and teachers experienced higher levels of stress due to the COVID-19 emergency guidelines, and students had fewer opportunities for social interactions. Principals also had to leverage existing socio-emotional supports and develop innovative methods to promote the socio-emotional wellbeing of their school communities throughout the pandemic. Throughout the crisis, policy decisions were made by leaning on experts, considering safety and operational feasibility, and deliberating community perception. The ways in which principals individually perceived and interpreted emergency guidelines also influenced the decision-making process and implementation. School communities were impacted by emergency guidelines in profound ways and principals recognized the critical importance of supporting their school community socio-emotionally during crisis. Principals prioritized the overall safety of their school communities regardless of the impact on socio-emotional health. Lastly, this study provided recommendations not only for future policy in education, but potential practices that will provide targeted socio-emotional interventions to students and strengthen community connections. Recommendations for future studies are also included to help bring to light the degree COVID-19 emergency guidelines have impacted schools throughout the United States for generations to come. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

The role of assistant superintendents in principal transformation: A narrative inquiry of principals in one urban school district

The purpose of this narrative inquiry is to hear stories from principals in relation to their assistant superintendent supervision and coaching and professional development through principal professional learning communities and resulting efficacy, particularly during times of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The literature from the field has been reviewed including research into current statistics on student performance, teacher coaching, principal development, and both assistant superintendent and central administration as well as the effects of the entire system in provoking and growing principals thus increasing student growth.Seven campus leaders consisting of elementary and secondary principals from school districts in Texas were chosen and interviewed. This inquiry will give insight into principal views of supervisory coaching, determine whether it resulted in principal efficacy, particularly during a crisis. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Mitigating learning disruption: School leadership sensemaking and preparation for blended and remote learning during COVID-19 school closures

School closures resulting from the global COVID-19 pandemic had deleterious effects on student learning requiring continuous school improvement efforts to recover from the learning loss. This study investigated the level of preparedness of K-12 school leaders for the implementation of blended or remote instruction in an online environment during the pandemic. This entailed how principals and assistant principals evaluated teacher pedagogy in their school communities, while using their lived instructional leadership experiences to reduce the uncertainty, chaos, and student learning disruption that was exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. The director of a New York City principal leadership pipeline program for aspiring school leaders and four school leaders were interviewed about their level of preparedness to implement online instruction. Participants reported inconsistent professional learning to support the implementation of online instruction. Asynchronous virtual professional learning modules were designed and disseminated to the participants to strengthen their pedagogies using an online instructional delivery method. In addition, a rubric to gauge non-evaluative online teaching was introduced. The effectiveness of the intervention was evaluated for the online modules, revealing participant satisfaction with the professional learning modules and change agency for the participants and their school communities. These findings can inform school leaders on how to support online instruction in their school communities and approaches to mitigating student learning disruption in an online environment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

The Effects of Cognitive Fusion on Depression in Primary School Principals During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mediating Role of Psychological Vulnerability and the Moderating Role of Self-Esteem.

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic had triggered a serious crisis that had brought stress and challenges to primary school principals, as well as having a dramatic impact on their mental health. This study explored the relationship between cognitive fusion and depression among primary school principals during COVID-19, as well as the mediating role of psychological vulnerability and the moderation role of self-esteem in this process. Patients and Methods: Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire (CFQ), Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), psychological vulnerability scale, and self-esteem scale were used to measure 279 rural primary school principals. The data were analyzed by adopting Pearson's correlations and moderated mediation analysis. Results: The results revealed that: (1) There were significant relationships among cognitive fusion, depression, psychological vulnerability and self-esteem. (2) The results showed that psychological vulnerability mediated the link between cognitive fusion and depression. (3) Self-esteem moderated the associations between cognitive fusion and depression, and also moderated the associations between cognitive fusion and psychological vulnerability. The relationship between cognitive fusion and depression was weaker for primary school principals with high levels of self-esteem. In contrast, the relationship between cognitive fusion and psychological vulnerability was stronger for primary school principals with low levels of self-esteem. Conclusion: Psychological vulnerability played a mediating role in the relationship between cognitive fusion and depression. Moreover, self-esteem moderated the effect of cognitive fusion on depression, and also the effect of cognitive fusion on psychological vulnerability.

Crisis leadership: Principals' metaphors during COVID-19

The roles of school principals changed during the Covid-19 pandemic, alongside all changes in the school system and society. Exploring the metaphors they used, the current qualitative research is an exploration of 42 Israeli Arab and Jewish middle-school principals' interpretations of their leadership role in the time of crisis. Analysis of semistructured interviews yielded three themes: the organizational role, the professional role, and the emotional role. The metaphors expressed the principals' perceptions of what was required from them during the pandemic. Metaphors can simplify complexities and break down that which is and incomprehensible into understandable images, thus illuminating school principals' reflection on their role during the pandemic crisis. This study expands the currently limited knowledge on how principals interpret their role during crisis times and provides implications and further research avenues. © The Author(s) 2023.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on leadership and learning in Illinois public high schools

The purpose of this descriptive, nonexperimental quantitative research study was to examine Illinois High School Principals' perceptions of principal leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. Areas of focus include daily leadership responsibilities, instructional leadership, and associated stressors. Quantitative data were collected through a survey sent to all Illinois Public High School Principals. Data were received from principals with various levels of experience and who worked in different-sized high schools with diverse demographics. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were obtained. The findings of this study suggested a perceived change to the instructional and daily leadership of Illinois public high school principals during the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically in defining the school mission, managing the instructional program, and creating a positive school climate. The findings also suggested the usage of instructional technology increased significantly during the pandemic and thus the student learning experience changed as a result. Illinois high school principals reported very high stress levels during the pandemic, with female principals and principals at schools with more low-income students indicating higher stress levels than their peers. COVID-19 mitigation and crisis management, along with concerns about student and staff mental health and well-being, were noted as significant stressors for high school principals. Recommendations for educators included a plea to policymakers and district-level leadership to ensure principals have an opportunity for mentorship, a chance to learn about crisis management, and through their principal preparation and mentorship, have open and honest conversations about the stresses of the job and self-care. The final recommendation to educators is to not expect a return to normal. Even with the difficulties high school principals faced, most importantly, there were many lessons and opportunities to continue the positive change from the pandemic and capitalize on these changes for our students and communities for years to come. Recommendations for future research include studying the shifts in instructional delivery from the pandemic with students and teachers, replicating the study with elementary and middle school principals, and exploring the stress of female high school principals. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

A Systematic Review of Research on Problems and Challenges Faced by Principals During the COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 affected all education stakeholders and led to school closures at the beginning of the spread of the pandemic. During the pandemic, principals had to manage their schools and faced many problems during the closure. Although there are numerous studies on school principals' challenges and difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic, no systematic review study analyzes research about the principals' challenges and problems in the current literature. The purpose of this study is to provide a systematic review of the challenges and problems of principals during the COVID-19 pandemic from 2020 to 2022. The researcher analyzed 395 articles indexed in the ERIC and SCOPUS databases between 2020-2022. The results were analyzed using content analysis. The research results showed that 26 articles were suitable according to the analysis criteria. The results revealed that, in general, researchers focused on understanding principals' experiences regarding their challenges and problems during the pandemic. The results also showed that most articles were published in 2021, and most studies were conducted in The United States of America and Turkey. The results also show that qualitative studies are higher than quantitative. In addition, we found that the biggest challenges are inadequate equipment and lack of access to the internet and online resources during the pandemic. At the same time, the most common problems were identified as the adaptation of online teaching and inadequate infrastructure. The results from this research contribute to the body of the existing literature through a systematic review of the challenges and problems of principals during a pandemic and identifying the research gaps revealed from the analyzed studies. © 2023 The Author(s).

The silenced voices of principals: A narrative case study of principal perspectives throughout complex crises and their resilience

K-12 school principals experience multiple crises throughout their careers, ranging from natural disasters, the COVID-19 pandemic, threats of violence, and school shootings. As the face of the school, principals must navigate these crises while maintaining the everyday responsibilities of being a principal. These crisis events disrupt the learning environment and place principals in situations that they may not understand how to overcome. Unfortunately, principal preparation programs and district principal professional development provide little support for principals' well-being, including their mental health and level of resilience. This narrative, multiple-case study personified the principal's journey through complex crises, illuminating the support necessary for principals to develop resilience to overcome adversity. Five K-12 principals in Texas shared their unique experiences and personal journeys through crises and reflected on their resilience throughout the process. Each of the five principal case descriptions aligned with the resilience cycle framework of deteriorating, adapting, recovering, and growing (Patterson & Kelleher, 2005). Weaving the story of each principal's experience with a complex crisis using a thematic narrative analysis allowed alignment with the framework's cycle and helped identify additional issues with the support needed for crisis leadership. Moreover, principals identified their own levels of support that strengthened their well-being as they experienced their school-related crisis events. The thematic narrative analysis and cross-case analysis highlighted three key themes that supported principals as they lived through their crisis, made decisions throughout the crisis, and eventually overcame their crisis experience: (a) deteriorating and adapting: teamwork is a necessity, (b) recovering: self-awareness is crucial, and (c) growing: the show must go on. These three themes supported the framework's cycle as each participant described their crisis experiences as they related to the resilience cycle. Finally, five assertions about the ways in which principals navigate complex crises offered an understanding of the support needed before, during, and after the crisis event. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Under pressure: Exploring school leadership changes peri-COVID-19 and post George Floyd using an abductive approach

In the last two years, the United States has been greatly impacted by the global health pandemic of COVID-19 and a renewed national recognition of racial injustice catalyzed by the murder of George Floyd. These crises have created extensive pressures for school leaders to revamp their policies and procedures to ensure physiological safety and address systemic racism in schools, respectively. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how school principals dealt with and reacted to COVID-19 and the murder of George Floyd and the pressures of this crisis context. Guided by multiple contextual lenses and theoretical frameworks, this study used an abductive analysis approach to uncover surprising and anomalous data to build renewed understandings in educational leadership. In doing so, I discovered elements of healthcare and sensemaking around life and death that led to the integration of a healthcare humanization framework. Together, this study found that principals adopted new or shifted roles and identities that focused on humanizing practices. Principals became first responders;mediators of health, political, and humanizing communications;needs-based leaders;civil rights leaders;and leaders who sought agency by supporting others in uncontrollable situations. These changes were embedded in systems that remained acontexual and dehumanistic that created tensions for leaders to navigate. These findings supported the early developments of a humanizing leadership peri-crisis framework to elucidate leaders' responses in crisis contexts particularly when loss is imminent. This research is significant because the literature on theoretical frameworks for crisis school leadership is small and even fewer studies have operationalized humanizing school leadership practices. Recommendations based on the findings are also proposed for researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Examining the Roles of School Principals in the Emergency Distance Education Process

Bu araştırmanın amacı acil uzaktan eǧitim sürecinde okul müdürlerinin rollerinin incelenmesidir. Araştırma, nitel araştırma olarak tasarlanmıştır. 2020-2021 Eǧitim öǧretim yılında Batman ilinde gerçekleştirilen araştırmada ölçüt örnekleme yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın çalışma grubu, ilkokul ve ortaokullarda görev yapan ve en az bir yıllık yöneticilik kıdemine sahip 40 okul müdüründen oluşmaktadır. Veri toplama aracı olarak yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme formu kullanılmıştır. Veriler elektronik olarak toplanmıştır. Çalışma grubundan elde edilen veriler araştırmanın alt amaçları çerçevesinde içerik analizine tabi tutulmuştur. Araştırma sonuçlarına göre, okul müdürleri acil uzaktan eǧitim sürecinde okullarında bilgilendirme ve hazırlık çalışmaları gerçekleştirmişlerdir. Bu süreçte öǧretmenler yönelik olarak planlama ve yetiştirme çalışmaları yaptıkları, onları teşvik ettikleri, onlarla iletişim kurdukları ve onlara ortam saǧladıkları;öǧrencilere yönelik olarak süreci tanıttıkları ve eǧitim faaliyetleri gerçekleştirdikleri ve velilere yönelik olarak da süreci tanıttıkları belirlenmiştir. Ayrıca okul müdürlerinin Covid-19 sürecindeki acil uzaktan eǧitime yaklaşımlarının başarılı, başarısız ve yetersiz olmak üzere üç farklı şekilde olduǧu ortaya çıkmıştır.Alternate :The purpose of this research is to examine the roles of school principals in the emergency distance education process. The research was designed as a qualitative research, and the criterion sampling method was used in the study conducted in Batman during the 2020-2021 academic year. The study group consisted of forty school principals who work in primary and secondary schools and have at least one year of management experience. A semi-structured interview form was used as a data collection tool. Research data were collected via e-mail. The data obtained from the study group were subjected to content analysis within the framework of the sub-objectives of the research. According to the results of the research, school principals carried out informing and preparatory activities in their schools during the emergency distance education process. In this process, they conducted planning and training activities for teachers, encouraged and communicated with them, and provided them with an adequate environment. They also introduced the process and carried out educational activities for students and informed parents about it. Additionally, it was revealed that school principals' approaches to emergency distance education in the Covid-19 process were categorized into three different ways: successful, unsuccessful, and inadequate.

Distributed Leadership in Irish Post-Primary Schools: Policy versus Practitioner Interpretations

School leaders have faced significant challenges since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Distributed leadership has become the default leadership response implemented by schools to manage increased pressure. While Irish schools have traditionally operated behind a ‘closed-door', there has recently been a movement towards a shared model of leadership, and Irish school leadership policy currently endorses the adoption of a distributed leadership model. Increased interest and policy endorsement notwithstanding, distributed leadership remains an elusive concept. The aim of this study was to explore Irish post-primary school personnel's interpretations of distributed leadership and analyse these interpretations through a teacher empowerment lens with respect to Irish school leadership policy. This study reports the results of a thematic analysis of 363 survey responses provided by post-primary school personnel. Short's six dimensions of teacher empowerment were utilised to inform a framework for thematically analysing the participants' interpretations. An initial framework for enacting distributed leadership through an empowerment lens was outlined. Interpretations were found to diverge regarding (i) what is shared, (ii) who it is shared with, and (iii) how it is shared. This paper adds to the corpus of knowledge concerning how distributed leadership is understood in practice and will aid in informing future school leadership policy documents.

Implementing universal multi-tiered systems of support for behavior with fidelity: What principals do that makes a difference

This mixed methodology phenomenological case study, which included an explanatory sequential research design, explored the behaviors principals employ when promoting fidelity to universal Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for Behavior (MTSS-B), otherwise known as Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS). The target population consisted of 62 principals and 90 staff members from Pennsylvania schools who met universal fidelity during school years 2019-20 and 2020-21. The school version of the Implementation Leadership Scale (S-ILS) was used to measure the social validity of staff and principal extent ratings of principal behaviors in support of evidence-based Tier 1 PBIS practices. Independent t-tests measuring the significance between staff and principal mean scale scores indicated principals rated themselves significantly higher on the availability subscale than staff. Fourteen principals who participated in the S-ILS survey were invited to participate in focus groups using critical incident technique to further delve into principal behaviors promoting MTSS-B/PBIS and mitigating implementation challenges. Five themes emerged identifying principal behaviors promoting fidelity: (a) focusing on relationships, (b) preparing staff to implement, (c) supporting the leadership team, (d) promoting the PBIS process, and (e) sustaining fidelity. Challenges to implementation included (a) challenges with the leadership team, (b) stakeholder resistance, (c) resource scarcity, and (d) consequences of Covid-19. When faced with challenges, principals described critical incidents where they were supportive, proactive, and communicative. Implications for theory and practice, study limitations, and recommendations for future research are also provided. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Examining the role of critically conscious leadership in dual language education programs: A case of two school principals

In recent years, the United States has seen an increased interest in Dual Language Education (DLE) Programs. These programs prepare students to compete in a global economy by providing an opportunity to develop high levels of bilingualism, biliteracy, and socio-cultural competence. Despite abundant research on DLE programs (Howard et al., 2018), there are not enough studies on the role of the school principal as an educational leader in these additive enrichment language programs. As the primary advocates for these programs, school principals are instrumental in providing support and guidance to the learning communities they lead, thus ensuring high quality and equity through their leadership and commitment to the programs' vision and mission. Consequently, this qualitative case study employed Transformational Leadership Theory (Bass, 1985, 2006) and the Principles of Courageous Leadership (Blankstein & Noguera, 2016) as a dual lens framework to examine the role and characteristics of two school principals at distinct DLE programs in Southern California. Methodology included surveys and interviews with a sample size of two principals, six teachers, and six parents in DLE programs. Findings in this study revealed how through liderazgo and authentic carino the school principals created equitable schooling experiences for students and teachers. The findings in the case study yielded four themes 1) the principals' strong belief in DLE, 2) advocacy for program and professional development, 3) pedagogical knowledge and sustainability of DLE, and 4) building cross-cultural relationships and appreciation of cutures. Implications of this study may add to the scholarly literature and inform the field of the unique characteristics of school principals in DLE.Given the constraints of COVID-19, data obtained from the study was carefully examined due to the impact on participants' experience and potential biases in the educational setting. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Principals' perspectives on making sense of and implementing teacher evaluation during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study

As the COVID-19 pandemic shook the very foundation of our educational systems, Connecticut created adjustments through the 2020-2021 Teacher Evaluation Flexibility Plan. Using a qualitative phenomenological research design, three research questions were explored through the theoretical lenses of Knowles' (1978) adult learning theory and Weick's (1995) sensemaking theory. This study explored the lived experiences of Connecticut high school principals as they made sense of and implemented the adjusted plan during the 2020-2021 school year in order to fill a gap in the educational research surrounding principals' perceptions of implementing teacher evaluation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results showed four key themes and two subthemes which, when synthesized, formed an essence of the experience for participants. This essence reflected the importance of support, the use of technology, previous pedagogy, the strain of the pandemic, reliance on previously established systems, and the responsibility of capacity building in relation to school climate. The results of this study provide context for state policy makers, higher education institutions who provide programing for aspiring administrators, and central office administrators charged with supporting building administrators. As the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic may be felt for many years, it is imperative we continue to learn from these experiences to support future educational leaders as they prepare to lead our post-pandemic schools. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)