USING CASE METHOD TO ADDRESS EQUITY-RELATED GAPS IN PRINCIPAL ASPIRANTS’ LEARNING EXPERIENCES

Oct 15, 2026

Case method as an andragogical approach connects theory and practice across fields, with particular relevance as COVID-19 lockdowns disrupted public school field experiences. Educator preparation authors shifted learning from field placements to a previously published peer-reviewed case study, integrating it into the culminating assessment for a principal preparation program. The study targets how principal aspirants write about equity issues and reports that case method supports equity-focused decisions in a low-stakes environment.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Current Literature on Preparing School Leaders

USING CASE METHOD TO ADDRESS EQUITY-RELATED GAPSIN PRINCIPAL ASPIRANTS’ LEARNING EXPERIENCES STACY R. LEGGETT KANDY C. SMITH Western Kentucky University, USA ABSTRACT Case method as an andragogical approach connects theory and practice in numerous fields: law, medicine, business, and education. With the recent COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns faced by public schools, higher education institutions faced challenges in how to address learning that had previously occurred within field experiences. The authors, working in the field of educator preparation, were able to shift some learning from field experiences to case method. With this shift, they were able to purposefully address issues of equity that students inconsistently encountered through field experiences. This self-study focuses on the implementation of a case study that had been previously published in a peer-reviewed journal by the authors. This case study became part of the culminating assessment for a course in the principal preparation program. Student responses indicated that case method instruction offered an opportunity to consider decisions involving equity in a low stake environment. INTRODUCTION Principal preparation programs face the daunting task of providing the scholarship and depth of knowledge aspiring leaders will need as they are called on to expertly shape and control daily events in people’s lives. Lipsky (2010) writes that a street-level bureaucrat such as a school principal makes countless decisions each day. Preparing principal aspirants for making the countless decisions that affect both students and adults calls for experiences that convey authenticity (Orr et al., 2012), connect theory to practice (Darling-Hammond et al., 2007), and reflect the real work of school principals (Davis, 2016). Principal preparation programs often use field experiences to address these goals. Field experiences allow principal aspirants to apply theory to practice in high-stakes settings, but they also provide principal aspirants with inconsistent access to equity-related issues in their school context. The COVID-19 pandemic brought a greater sense of urgency to our previous pursuit of authentic, problem-solving work that addressed specific knowledge and skills needed in leading schools for equitable outcomes. We were novice users and writers of the case method when the COVID-19 related lockdowns started in March 2020. As we worked to shift instruction from face-to-face and field experiences, case studies emerged as providing an andragogical approach that encouraged collaborative learning, developed principal aspirants’ critical thinking around complex problems of practice, and provided opportunities for reflection. As COVID-19 posed a new set of challenges in providing principal aspirants with access to experiences spanning the required standards, we quickly revised our course plans and expanded our use of case method. The goal of this project was to better understand how principal aspirants write about equity issues that arise within a case study. Educational Planning | Winter 2022 19 Vol. 29, No. 1 CURRENT LITERATURE ON PREPARING SCHOOL LEADERS In considering equity-centered leaders over the last 20 years of research, Grissom, and colleagues (2021) identified direct-impact behaviors and indirect-impact behaviors affecting groups of students, particularly students from underrepresented groups. They identified principal management of student disciplinary actions as a direct-impact behavior. Indirect-impact behaviors included the following: the principal working with teachers to implement culturally responsive teaching practices and using hiring practices resulting in more teachers of color. Grissom and colleagues also identified behaviors that should be included in principal preparation programs: engaging in instructionally focused interactions with teachers, building strong relationships and collaborative cultures, strategically managing personn

FAQs

How does the case method support equity-focused learning in principal preparation?

The case method links theory to practice and encourages reflection and collaborative learning, giving aspirants a low-stakes context to consider decisions involving equity that were inconsistently encountered in field experiences.

What impact did COVID-19 lockdowns have on the program described?

Lockdowns starting in March 2020 disrupted face-to-face and field experiences, prompting rapid revision of course plans and expansion of case method use to provide required learning experiences.

What do the cited studies suggest about effective school principals?

Research reviewed in the document indicates principals significantly influence student achievement, with effects often greatest for students who need it most, and with evidence that principals’ impacts are consistent across recent studies.

Oct 15, 2026

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