AERA 2023 – Online but Not Alone: Teacher Perceptions of Effective Online School Leadership

The thirty-first and final of the sessions from the 2023 annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association that I identified as relevant to this space that I have the opportunity to blog is:

• Online but Not Alone: Teacher Perceptions of Effective Online School Leadership – Joanne Robertson, University of the Fraser Valley; Awneet Sivia, University of the Fraser Valley

  Abstract

  As school districts develop online learning programs, the need to examine leadership in these programs is paramount. The literature suggests that while many studies focus on effective leadership in brick-and-mortar schools, research on leadership in online programs is limited. We aimed to explore teachers’ perceptions of what makes for effective leadership in online secondary schools in two districts. Using phenomenology, we interviewed six teachers, and qualitatively analyzed the transcripts to name teachers’ perceptions of effective OSL as sense of community, organizational learning, and empowerment. This research has implications for educational leadership broadly, but specifically for leadership in online and virtual schools.

  Authors

  • Joanne Robertson, University of the Fraser Valley
    Presenting Author
  • Awneet Sivia, University of the Fraser Valley
    Presenting Author

Which was in this session:

Not Alone: Educational Leaders Uniting to Address Pressing and Emerging Challenges

Fri, May 5, 2:30 to 4:00pm CDT (12:30 to 2:00pm PDT), SIG Virtual Rooms, Learning and Teaching in Educational Leadership SIG Virtual Paper RoomSession Type: Virtual Paper Session

Sub Unit

• SIG-Learning and Teaching in Educational Leadership

Chair

• Julie A. Gray, University of West Florida

Due to meetings, I joined this session about 5 minutes into this presentation.  When I did join, the presenter was going over the lack of literature related to virtual school leadership – citing Richardson at el. (2015) and Alotebi at el. (2018).

The study occurred in two British Columbia secondary school sites – one of which was a distributed location and one was a physical location.  There were six participants in total.  The questions that they asked included.

The themes that came out were discussed around this chart.

Many of the ones folks in the field might expect – particularly the contextualized leadership practices (as the foundational ones could apply to any school setting regardless of medium).  The presenter than provided a framework to help explain the themes, which was captured in the article below.

Some interesting stuff that if it builds upon the existing literature in the field (which may be broader than the presenters represented in the beginning).  Apparently the study was published by the International Journal of E-Learning and Distance Education – see https://www.ijede.ca/index.php/jde/article/view/1230 – and I haven’t had the chance to really read through it yet.

AERA 2023 – Lessons to Keep: Learning in the Time of COVID

The thirtieth of the sessions from the 2023 annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association that I identified as relevant to this space that I have the opportunity to blog is:

• Lessons to Keep: Learning in the Time of COVID – Grace Tamara Handy, Stanford University; Elizabeth B. Kozleski, Stanford University; Karoline Trepper, New York University; Emma Bene, Stanford University

  Abstract

  In Fall, 2020, in response to family distress reported widely, we conducted five online convenings between families hosting their children’s educations in their homes and technologists who had created the tools and learning systems used for remote learning. We wanted to (a) uncover the issues families were facing and (b) engage the technologists who created the platforms being used.

  Theoretical Framework. Three constructs afforded a nuanced analysis of our data (a) Eisner’s notion of educational connoisseurs; (b) black feminists’ conceptualizations of criticism; and (c) transgressive carework to peel the layers of critique and care being balanced by families. As they stepped back from their direct misgivings about technology as users and user/critics, families offered a larger critique of systems and structures.

  Methods. Each three-hour convening afforded the opportunity for families and technologists to talk and listen. Of the participating 75 urban families in the study, 77% were from Spanish speaking households, 19% from English speaking homes and 4% spoke Khmer/Cambodian. During the convenings, families shared observations of student learning and interaction with their teachers. Fourteen technologists representing seven tech companies listened to the ways in which their products facilitated and hindered learning and communication. They asked questions and, in one convening, had a chance to talk about their work and products. Technologists then created prototypes of improved processes, designs, and new products that could reduce barriers to learning and communication. They test drove those prototypes with the families in their last convening. All zoom sessions were conducted with English/Spanish translators and trained facilitators.

  Data sources and Findings. Transcripts were coded by at least two coders, a codebook created, and a set of themes co-constructed. Families in this study were exquisitely attuned to the ways in which technology mediated teaching and learning. As they stepped back from their direct misgivings about technology as users and user/critics, a larger critique of systems and structures emerged: Families as (a) First Educators; (b) Transgressive Caregivers; and (c) Learners.

  The shifts in everyday routines and rising uncertainty as the pandemic evolved in 2020 were compounded by the new roles that families assumed in virtual schooling. Whether parents lost paid work, began working from home, or continued working outside their homes, their new roles as educators became full-time jobs. One parent said that her new insights about her son’s learning compelled her to work with her son’s teachers, and she was “surprised at how much we’ve been able to improve his focus (CFam290).” Decoding instructional language was a critical pivot point that enabled families to design supports and decode the grammar of instruction.

  Scholarly Insight. The findings underscore how historically persistent systemic failures were exacerbated during the pandemic. Families built critiques from an evaluative stance and situated them in their social locations in ways that indexed power disparities. These findings underscore the key role that family insight and partnership play in improving learning designs and outcomes. The policy implications extend from local contexts to federal policy.

  Authors

  • Grace Tamara Handy, Stanford University
    Presenting Author
  • Elizabeth B. Kozleski, Stanford University
    Presenting Author
  • Karoline Trepper, New York University
    Presenting Author
  • Emma Bene, Stanford University
    Non-Presenting Author

Which was in this session:

Families, COVID, and Unequal Schooling: Stories and Lessons From the Field

Thu, May 4, 11:30am to 1:00pm CDT (9:30 to 11:00am PDT), Division G Virtual Sessions, Division G – Social Context of Education Virtual Session RoomSession Type: Virtual Symposium

Abstract

This session focuses on research conducted with and about families during COVID school disruptions. The works focus on new and unexpected roles parents and caregivers played as education partners during the pandemic. Despite glaring inequalities and discrepancies in experience, COVID schooling changed boundaries between schools and families as families translated, decoded, and reshaped learning in their homes alongside their children. The papers document and give voice to family experiences and suggest lessons learned. The analyses can help reframe and impact how educators, school leaders, and policy makers partner with parents going forward.

Sub Unit

• Division G – Social Context of Education

Chair

• Shelley V. Goldman, Stanford University

Discussant

• Ann M. Ishimaru, University of Washington

Again, I’m at a face-to-face conference in Ottawa, Ontario – so I’m unable to sit in and blog this session.  If someone else who was in the room has some notes, please add them to the comments section below.

AERA 2023 – Digital Screens as Teachers

The twenty-ninth of the sessions from the 2023 annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association that I identified as relevant to this space that I have the opportunity to blog is:

• Digital Screens as Teachers – Carmen Clayton, Leeds Trinity University; Rafe Clayton, University of Leeds; Marie Potter
  

  Abstract

  Objectives. We present parental perspectives on screen-based learning for children during the first and most restrictive lockdown in the UK. In doing so, we examine the lived experience of parents as home educators and highlight the opportunities and challenges of screen-based learning, whilst identifying policy implications.

  Perspective(s) or theoretical framework. Early in the pandemic, quantitative studies in the UK identified that the government enforced lockdowns may risk increasing inequalities based on gender, wealth and social background (Andrew et al., 2020). It was argued that the absence of formal education could have a significant negative impact upon educational attainment for marginalized groups (Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, 2021); in turn affecting opportunities for social mobility among the young (Major and Machin, 2020). With schools closed nationally and children having to learn from home, new family dynamics emerged as caregivers spent more time with their children and there was an expectation for parents to act as educators (Clayton et al., 2020). As schools sent more work to be completed via screens, education within the home also became increasingly digitalised (World Economic Forum, 2020). We discuss the phenomena associated with screen-based learning in the home during the pandemic.

  Methods. We interviewed sixty parents from diverse backgrounds using qualitative semi-structured online interviews via Voice over Internet Protocol/VoIP mediated technologies (Microsoft Teams) or telephone interviews.

  Methodologically, qualitative semi-structured online interviews are considered advantageous for their flexible and participant-friendly approaches, that help interviewees tell their stories, in their own words and their own time (Eder and Fingerson, 2003). This viewpoint aligns with the interpretivist stance of the study. VoIP mediated technologies allow for real-time interactions between the research team and the participants (Lo Iacono et al., 2016). Telephone interviews, like face-to-face interviews, have the ability to collect meaningful data and are advantageous in terms of their efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and flexibility (Azad et al., 2021).

  Data sources. We developed a semi-structured interview guide, which included questions on the following:

  1) To what extent, and in what ways, did schools facilitate children’s learning during lockdown
  2) If screen-based approaches were used, how effective were they from a parental perspective
  3) Did parents have any concerns about the use of screens for children’s home-learning

  Interviews were recorded with participants’ permission, professionally transcribed (verbatim), coded and analyzed.
  Results. Findings establish how teaching and learning behaviors changed during the pandemic; and how through the analysis of changes, we see the emergence of new attitudes towards screen based digital education amongst parents.

  We identify positive and negative impacts from the increased use of screens for education, which provides educationalists and policymakers a more thorough understanding of the learning landscape, as the UK government pushes forwards with national digital strategies.

  Scholarly Significance. As much literature is framed around the negative portrayal of the short–term and long-term impacts of the pandemic on young people’s education (Ofqual Report, 2021) including the learning loss and widening inequalities narratives (Child Poverty Action Group, 2020), this paper offers alternative viewpoints to be considered.

  Authors

  • Carmen Clayton, Leeds Trinity University
    Presenting Author
  • Rafe Clayton, University of Leeds
    Presenting Author
  • Marie Potter
    Non-Presenting Author

Which was in this session:

Families, COVID, and Unequal Schooling: Stories and Lessons From the Field

Thu, May 4, 11:30am to 1:00pm CDT (9:30 to 11:00am PDT), Division G Virtual Sessions, Division G – Social Context of Education Virtual Session RoomSession Type: Virtual Symposium

Abstract

This session focuses on research conducted with and about families during COVID school disruptions. The works focus on new and unexpected roles parents and caregivers played as education partners during the pandemic. Despite glaring inequalities and discrepancies in experience, COVID schooling changed boundaries between schools and families as families translated, decoded, and reshaped learning in their homes alongside their children. The papers document and give voice to family experiences and suggest lessons learned. The analyses can help reframe and impact how educators, school leaders, and policy makers partner with parents going forward.

Sub Unit

• Division G – Social Context of Education

Chair

• Shelley V. Goldman, Stanford University

Discussant

• Ann M. Ishimaru, University of Washington

Again, I’m at a face-to-face conference in Ottawa, Ontario – so I’m unable to sit in and blog this session.  If someone else who was in the room has some notes, please add them to the comments section below.

AERA 2023 – A Tale of Two Working Mothers: The Intersection of COVID-19 and Feminism in the United States

The twenty-eighth of the sessions from the 2023 annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association that I identified as relevant to this space that I have the opportunity to blog is:

• A Tale of Two Working Mothers: The Intersection of COVID-19 and Feminism in the United States – Stephanie Robillard, Stanford University; Rubén A. González, Stanford University

  Abstract

  Objectives. A narrative at the onset of COVID-19 in the United States asserted ‌the pandemic was “a disaster” for feminism (Lewis, 2020), centering an upper middle-class white experience (Zakaria, 2021). We complicate this notion of feminism by employing a critical frame feminist perspective to the experiences of two working mothers (one Latina and one white) with school-aged children enrolled in the same school district during the 2020-2021 academic year. We explore how their gendered, racialized, and class identities intersected to shape their experiences as their children’s school transitioned from remote learning to in-person learning.

  Theoretical Framework. We draw on critical race feminism (Wing, 1997), which “focuses on the lives of whose of those who face multiple discrimination on the basis of race, gender and class, revealing how all these factors interact within a system of white male patriarchy and racist oppression” (p. 3). The intersection of race and gender is vital, as racism is “not something outside of the women’s movement but [is] intrinsic to the best principles of feminism” (Bourne, 1983, p. 3).

  Methods. To better understand this phenomena, we employed a year-long comparative case study (Goodrick, 2014) as an approach for “analysis and synthesis of the similarities, differences and patterns across two or more cases” (p. 1). A comparative case study allowed for us to capture the depth of how the racialized, gendered, and classed experiences influenced the lives of the two working mothers. To document our findings, we used portraiture (Lawrence-Lightfoot, 1983) to “capture the richness, complexity and dimensionality of human experience in social and cultural context, conveying the perspectives of the people who are negotiating those experiences” (Lawrence-Lightfoot & Davis, 1997, p. 3).

  Data. Data stems from a semi-structured interview series (3) (Siedman, 2019) with both working mothers conducted during the 2020-2021 academic year. Each interview averaged 60 minutes and was conducted by both researchers. All data was collected and analyzed through grounded theory (Charmaz, 2014) and thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Multiple rounds of open, closed, and axial coding were employed to identify and analyze recurring themes across the data set (Saldaña, 2021).

  Results. Findings speak to how race, gender, and class‌ intersected and differentiated the experiences of both women. First, while both women were employed by the same school district, their roles and positioning within the district influenced interactions with a site administrator–leading to greatly varied interactions. Second, findings speak to the unique ways their marital status influenced how they navigated the demands of being a working mother. Last, there was a great difference in how both mothers navigated the different configurations of schooling as the district shifted toward in person learning.

  Significance. The results from this study demonstrate that while segments of the population experienced a return to traditional gender roles, some women of color navigated a pandemic existence while continuing to carry all the responsibilities that existed prior to COVID-19’s onset. This study joins others (Beck, 2021; Zakaria, 2021) in reassessing the degree to which “feminism” is working and who it is failing.

  Authors

  • Stephanie Robillard, Stanford University
    Presenting Author
  • Rubén A. González, Stanford University
    Presenting Author

Which was in this session:

Families, COVID, and Unequal Schooling: Stories and Lessons From the Field

Thu, May 4, 11:30am to 1:00pm CDT (9:30 to 11:00am PDT), Division G Virtual Sessions, Division G – Social Context of Education Virtual Session RoomSession Type: Virtual Symposium

Abstract

This session focuses on research conducted with and about families during COVID school disruptions. The works focus on new and unexpected roles parents and caregivers played as education partners during the pandemic. Despite glaring inequalities and discrepancies in experience, COVID schooling changed boundaries between schools and families as families translated, decoded, and reshaped learning in their homes alongside their children. The papers document and give voice to family experiences and suggest lessons learned. The analyses can help reframe and impact how educators, school leaders, and policy makers partner with parents going forward.

Sub Unit

• Division G – Social Context of Education

Chair

• Shelley V. Goldman, Stanford University

Discussant

• Ann M. Ishimaru, University of Washington

Again, I’m at a face-to-face conference in Ottawa, Ontario – so I’m unable to sit in and blog this session.  If someone else who was in the room has some notes, please add them to the comments section below.

AERA 2023 – We Got This: A Case Study on Families’ Literacy Practices in Response to COVID-19 Interruption

The twenty-seventh of the sessions from the 2023 annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association that I identified as relevant to this space that I have the opportunity to blog is:

• We Got This: A Case Study on Families’ Literacy Practices in Response to COVID-19 Interruption – Daris McInnis, University of Pennsylvania

  Abstract

  Objectives. Interruptions in K-12 learning (e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic) present a relatively recent shift in examining family literacy practices, particularly for low-SES families. This study examines three key objectives: (1) exploring parents’ perceptions and determinations on learning loss due to the interruption to instruction caused by the COVID-19 pandemic; (2) identifying systemic barriers, lack of access to educational resources, and challenges with hybrid learning options for some students in an urban school district; and (3) discovering and uplifting the ways parents responded to their children’s learning loss by facilitating literacy practices in the home.

  Theoretical Framework. I consider a conceptual framework (including a theoretical framework) comprising the Family Literacy Theory and Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) Model. I draw on Taylor’s Family Literacy Theory (1983) to identify and explore at-home practices intended to support young children’s learning. I also take up Yosso’s CCW model (2005) to consider the ways families’ practices might be considered in how we write about marginalized families when addressing children’s academic regression. CCW uses Critical Race Theory (CRT) (Crenshaw, 1989, 1993; Ladson-Billings, 2000) as a response and challenge to deficit narratives about socially marginalized groups and taking up their literacy practices, experiences, culture, and epistemologies in an asset-based approach.

  Methods and Data. Based on methodological approach(es) outlined in Dyson et al. (2005), Ravitch and Carl (2016), and Yin (2014), I conducted a case study to investigate how families facilitate summer learning opportunities. The sources of data used for this study include semi-structured 90-minute interviews with parents (a total of 31 Zoom interviews and five phone interviews), analytic memos, and field notes. For six months, I conducted bi-monthly interviews via Zoom with three families: parents who identify as low-income; identify as Black, Latinx, or Afro-Latinx; and have at least one child in a public K-12 school. I transcribed all interviews, and coded and analyzed the interviews using NVivo software.

  Findings. Findings in this study reveal parents’ perceptions of learning interruption, learning regression, and evidence of their resilience/brilliance in the agentic literacy practices they implemented at home with their little ones. Some of these practices include: (a) environmental print: parents wrote words and created labels for various items around their living space; (b) structured writing practice: two of the families oversaw structured writing time in addition to teacher-led and recommended writing practices beyond Zoom meetings; (c) play literacy: all of the families interviewed for this study facilitated some play literacy activities to build their children’s literacy acquisition.

  Significance. The results of this study make a meaningful contribution to the field of family literacy, focusing on the ways in which families from marginalized communities were impacted by (and responded to) rapid changes in instruction format, limited access to community resources, and inconsistency in academic support. Moreover, this study contributes to an emerging body of literature suggesting the COVID-19 pandemic presents an opportunity for examining the multidimensionality of family practices – specifically responding to the questions: What literacy practices are absent from research and discourse on low-SES family involvement?

  Author

  • Daris McInnis, University of Pennsylvania
    Presenting Author

Which was in this session:

Families, COVID, and Unequal Schooling: Stories and Lessons From the Field

Thu, May 4, 11:30am to 1:00pm CDT (9:30 to 11:00am PDT), Division G Virtual Sessions, Division G – Social Context of Education Virtual Session RoomSession Type: Virtual Symposium

Abstract

This session focuses on research conducted with and about families during COVID school disruptions. The works focus on new and unexpected roles parents and caregivers played as education partners during the pandemic. Despite glaring inequalities and discrepancies in experience, COVID schooling changed boundaries between schools and families as families translated, decoded, and reshaped learning in their homes alongside their children. The papers document and give voice to family experiences and suggest lessons learned. The analyses can help reframe and impact how educators, school leaders, and policy makers partner with parents going forward.

Sub Unit

• Division G – Social Context of Education

Chair

• Shelley V. Goldman, Stanford University

Discussant

• Ann M. Ishimaru, University of Washington

Again, I’m at a face-to-face conference in Ottawa, Ontario – so I’m unable to sit in and blog this session.  If someone else who was in the room has some notes, please add them to the comments section below.