Calm During Crisis - School Principal Approaches to Crisis Management during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jacob

Principals shaped their COVID-19 pandemic responses using a hierarchy of needs. They first prioritized physical and psychological safety for students and staff, viewing that foundation as essential for classroom success. After basic safety was addressed, leaders confronted complex logistical demands, including securing technology access and establishing reliable communication channels. The brief synthesizes early-pandemic challenges and actions identified by principals and offers practical guidance for educational leaders managing ongoing disruptions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

About this study

A priority on basic needs

Staff wellbeing

University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons | CPRE Policy Briefs | Consortium for Policy Research in Education
(CPRE) | | --- | --- | | 11-9-2020
Calm during crisis: school principal approaches to crisis management during the COVID-19 pandemic
Maya Kaul
University of Pennsylvania
Bryan A. VanGronigen University of Delaware
Nicole S. Simon
City University of New York
Follow this and additional works at: [https://repository.upenn.edu/cpre_policybriefs](https://repository.upenn.edu/cpre_policybriefs)
Part of the Education Commons | | Recommended Citation Kaul, Maya; VanGronigen, Bryan A.; and Simon, Nicole S.. (2020) . Calm during crisis: school principal approaches to crisis management during the COVID-19 pandemic. CPRE Policy Briefs. Retrieved from [https://repository.upenn.edu/cpre_policybriefs/89](https://repository.upenn.edu/cpre_policybriefs/89) This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. [https://repository.upenn.edu/cpre_policybriefs/89](https://repository.upenn.edu/cpre_policybriefs/89)[ ](https://repository.upenn.edu/cpre_policybriefs/89)For more information, please contact [repository@pobox.upenn.edu](repository@pobox.upenn.edu). Calm during crisis: school principal approaches to crisis management during the COVID-19 pandemic Abstract Principals formulated their responses to the pandemic in terms of a hierarchy of needs: they understood that their students and staff had to feel physically and psychologically safe before they would be successful in the classroom. This is one of a series of briefs that focused on a‘critical incident’ surrounding school closure and offers pragmatic suggestions to educational leaders as they continue to grapple with the disruptions ofthe pandemic. Disciplines Education This policy brief is available at ScholarlyCommons: [https://repository.upenn.edu/cpre_policybriefs/89](https://repository.upenn.edu/cpre_policybriefs/89) Leading in Crisis RESEARCH BRIEF Calm During Crisis: School Principal Approaches to Crisis Management during the COVID-19 Pandemic Principals formulated their responses to the pandemic in terms of a hierarchy of needs: they understood that their students and staff had to feel physically and psychologically safe before they would be successful in the classroom. INTRODUCTION The COVID-19 pandemic has presented an unprecedented crisis for schools around the world. Caught in the eye of this storm, school principals have been responsible for leading their schools through this crisis. This brief highlights the challenges that principals identified as most pressing in the early days of the pandemic and how they acted in response. The story that emerges from our data is that principals formulated their responses to the pandemic in terms of a hierarchy of needs: they understood that their students and staff had to feel physically and psychologically safe before they would be successful in the classroom. Even after these basic needs were addressed, principals faced overwhelming logistical hurdles of ensuring technology access and establishing clear communication streams. AUTHORS Maya Kaul University of Pennsylvania Bryan A. VanGronigen University of Delaware Nicole S. Simon City University of New York ABOUT THIS STUDY Leading in Crisis documents school and district experiences following school closures in March 2020 due to COVID-19 . From April to August 2020, researchers conducted interviews with a diverse sample of 120 principalsin 19 states, including elementary, middle and high school leaders from urban, suburban, and rural areas across the U. S. The interviews asked about the most pressing issues leaders faced; school and district responses; the inequities exposed by the pandemic; and strategies for care and well-being. To write their brief, teams of 2-4 researchers analyzed a sub-sample of between 23-43 of the interviews (depending on the team size) to arrive at their conclusions and recom

FAQs

How did principals structure their responses to the COVID-19 pandemic?

Principals framed their actions through a hierarchy of needs, emphasizing that students and staff had to feel physically and psychologically safe before classroom success was possible.

What major challenges did principals face after addressing basic needs?

Even after safety concerns were handled, principals encountered overwhelming logistics, including ensuring technology access and creating clear communication streams.

What topics does the study based on interviews cover?

Researchers interviewed 120 principals from April to August 2020 and asked about pressing issues leaders faced, school and district responses, inequities revealed by the pandemic, and strategies for care and well-being.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jacob