Managing Open School Units Amid COVID-19 Pandemic through the Experiences of Greek Principals. Implications for Current and Future Policies in Public Education

Eleftheria Spyropoulou and Theodore Koutroukis
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Eleftheria Spyropoulou: School of Psychology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Theodore Koutroukis: Department of Economics, Faculty of Social, Political and Economic Sciences, Democritus University of Thrace University Campus, 69100 Komotini, Greece

Administrative Sciences, 2021, vol. 11, issue 3, 1-13

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of primary and secondary Greek school principals, regarding the management of their school units at the beginning of the school year 2020–2021, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative study of 57 principals was undertaken, in order to explore the following questions: (a) What were the difficulties and obstacles that principals faced during the management of the school unit from the beginning of the school year? (b) What factors helped them to manage these difficulties? Written answers were analyzed using thematic analysis. Several key findings emerged, indicating that, in general, the principals had to respond to an unprecedented crisis context, under tremendous pressure, with limited resources. They faced a variety of difficulties, both on a personal level and in the context of their professional role. They also encountered difficulties above their role, which had to do with the general impact of the extended sanitary crisis on the emotional state and perceptions of the members of the school community. The results of the research have implications for the policy that is applied in schools in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: school management; principals; leadership; COVID-19; Greece; public education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L M M0 M1 M10 M11 M12 M14 M15 M16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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