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Dissertations and Theses Dissertations and Theses

1-10-2024

Sustainable Leadership During Turbulent Times

Paul Marietta
Portland State University

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 Sustainable Leadership During Turbulent Times

by

Paul Marietta

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the

requirements for the degree of

Doctor of Education
in
Educational Leadership: Administration

Dissertation Committee:
Deborah S. Peterson, Chair
Maika Yeigh
Yves Labissiere
Pat Burk

Portland State University

2024
 i
Abstract

Teachers, administrators, and staff in schools are leaving the profession at unprecedented

rates. The principal pipeline has significantly decreased in the past years and our public

school system is at a breaking point. Now more than ever, we need to focus on

sustainable leadership during turbulent times and helping the organization, students,

families, teachers-and also their leaders-thrive. This dissertation proposal follows the

Portland State University (PSU) multi-paper format which comprises a compilation of

three papers in a journal article style format, with sole or multiple authors, and although

PSU policy does not require it, the topic of the papers in this multi-paper electronic

dissertation are closely related, with the focus on sustainable leadership during turbulent

times.
 ii
Acknowledgements

I set forward in my doctoral study to gain insight on how to better do my job as a school

principal. Starting this program before the COVID pandemic and then continuing the

study through challenges provided me a place to harness my feelings and focus as I

experienced significant personal struggle. I am forever grateful to my committee for their

guidance and support both as a person and as a scholar, and specifically, I am grateful to

my chair, Dr. Deborah Peterson for her insight, provocations, and expert knowledge on

how to make doctoral work practical and helpful to both myself and other educational

leaders.

I also want to thank my wife, Jenny, and children for their patience and understanding as

I navigated the time commitments during a tumultuous time in our lives. Finally, I would

like to honor both of my parents, Dave and Mary Marietta, who both were diagnosed and

ultimately died of cancer during the course of my study and writing. Their presence and

guidance will continue to be felt for the rest of my life.

 iii
Table of Contents

Abstract …………………………………..………………………………………………i
Acknowledgements……………………………………….……………………………...ii
List of Figures……………………………………………………………………………iv
Chapter One: Introduction
Problem of Practice……………………………………………………………1
Changing Landscape in Education …………...…………………………….…4
Researcher Positionality……………………………….………………………8
Validates Existence of Problem……………………...………………………10
Researcher Stance……………………...………………………………….…12
Significance of Study……………………………………...…………………14
References for Chapter One………………………………………………….20
Chapter Two: Scholarly Practitioner Paper 1
The Multi-Paper Dissertations: Lessons Learned as a Doctoral Candidate…..29
References for Chapter Two…………...……...……………………………...46
Chapter Three: Scholarly Practitioner Paper 2
Stronger Leadership through Personal Crises: Invisible Backpack………….49
References for Chapter Three…….……………………………....……….....58
Chapter Four: Scholarly Practitioner Paper 3
Who Are You, Where Are You Going, and…Why?......................................60
References for Chapter Four………………………………………….....…..68
Chapter Five: Conclusion and Scholarly Practitioner Paper 4
Sustainable Leadership During Turbulent Times…………………………...70
References for Conclusion…………………………………………………..83
 iv
List of Figures

Figure 1.1 Micropolitical Leadership Matrix……………………………………………19

 1
Chapter One: Introduction

Background of the Problem

Educators in the United States are leaving the profession at unprecedented rates,

with many factors contributing to their departure. According to a 2022 Gallup poll of

more than 12,000 professionals,

More than four in 10 K-12 workers in the U.S. (44%) say they ‘always’ or ‘very often’

feel burned out at work, outpacing all other industries nationally. College and university

workers have the next-highest burnout level, at 35%, making educators among the

most burned-out groups in the U.S. workforce (Marken & Agrawal, 2022, paragraph 1).

A 2022 poll by the National Educators Association (Walker, 2022), revealed that

the primary drivers for the mass exodus include general stress, unfilled positions at the

school, low pay, student behavior issues, and lack of respect by the community. The poll

further found that 55% of teachers of all races are currently thinking about leaving the

field of education, with 60% of minoritized teachers indicating they are considering

leaving the field.

The high rates of principal resignation and attrition have significant impacts on

teacher longevity and, ultimately, on student outcomes. Nearly 50% of principals who

completed a National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) survey

indicated “their stress level is so high, they are considering a career change or retirement”

(Camera, 2022, paragraph 1). NASSP president Gregg Wieczorek responded to this crisis

by noting the following:

The principal pipeline is becoming increasingly fractured at all levels, in every

region of the country and in all school types. Recruiting and retaining school
 2
leaders will become even more difficult, if more is not done to support educators

in our schools (Wieczorek, 2021, paragraph 2).

The impact of this exodus of teachers and school leaders will directly influence

every child’s experience through the K-12 system. If we do nothing about the increase in

teachers and leaders leaving the profession, our schools and communities will experience

a continual churn of new teachers, or worse, positions remaining vacant and unfilled. In a

2004 study published in the Journal of School Finance, Watlington et al. (2010)

determined the financial cost of replacing a teacher. In Broward County where they

conducted the study, the cost in 2004 of teacher turnover was approximately $12,000 per

teacher. One critical element of improving teacher effectiveness is retention and making

sure the environment is conducive to collaboration. Kini and Podlksy (2016) note:

“teachers’ effectiveness increases at a greater rate when they teach in a supportive and

collegial working environment” (p. 286). Further, Kini and Podolsky note that

Teaching experience is positively associated with student achievement gains throughout a

teacher’s career. Gains in teacher effectiveness associated with experience are most steep

in teachers’ initial years but continue to be significant as teachers reach the second, and

often third, decades of their careers (p.286).

In order for us to retain our best teachers, school leaders need to focus on the

critical elements that leaders can control. We cannot control federal changes in policy,

state initiatives that change when political leaders change, or policy issues at the school

board level that change with new elections. However, we can change our leadership

strategies. I believe that leadership matters. According to the work of the Wallace

Foundation (2021), “Studies using new data and methods show that the importance of
 3
principals may not have been stated strongly enough in earlier work, given the magnitude

and scope of principals’ impacts on students and schools (paragraph 1). Leithwood et al.

(2004) support this focus by finding that the quality of the principal is, among school-

based factors, second only to the quality of the teacher in contributing to what students

learn in the classroom.

It is not necessarily what school leaders must do, it is how they go about doing it

that will lead to success or failure. Too often our principal preparation programs focus on

the technical side of the work. Aspiring leaders have often been indoctrinated in the core

belief that our responsibilities are in telling teachers what to do. John Hattie’s (2008)

meta-analysis in Visible Learning, and before him, Robert Marzano’s (2001) Classroom

Instruction That Works identified all the things that teachers should do. Further, Charlotte

Danielson’s “Framework for Teaching” (2007) identified areas of teaching that principals

could use to coach teachers for improvement; sadly, the rubric was converted to a

checklist for teacher evaluation with 11 components, and 38 sub-components of

observation in which to evaluate teachers. These noted educational leaders wrote books

that are filled with technical tools. However, the set of technical tools sent administrators,

including myself, down a rabbit hole of narrowing the focus during feedback cycles on

the techniques the teachers were using. Much of the professional development and

resources were dedicated solely to the technical side of teaching and education. National

student achievement data show that during this time of focusing on technical solutions,

student outcomes stagnated or declined. Barshay (2020) noted that on the National

Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), first administered in the early 1900s,

student achievement, particularly in math, steadily improved until the late 2000s,
 4
then student achievement flatlined. Reading scores also stagnated during this time

(Hechinger Report, 2018). Further, during the pandemic, outcomes for students of color

decreased at a higher rate. According to the NAEP, as compiled by Modan (2022),

“Black students saw a 13-point decrease, almost three times the size of the decline for

White students” (section 3, paragraph 2) during this time. These data do not prove

causation; however, the correlation is worthy of examination.

Heifetz (2002) notes that in each context, we need to identify whether a change is

a technical change or an adaptive change. Bryk et al. (2015), noted educator who

promotes the use of Improvement Science, notes that variation in context requires a

solution based on contextual issues, rather than a technical, top-down, one size fits all

solutions. School boards, superintendents, and principals need to be more engaged in

adaptive changes that can endure and that result in improvements in student outcomes.

Quoting Heifetz (1994), Daly and Chrispels (2008) say “Adaptive leadership is required

when both the problem definition and solution involve learning, not the mere application

of a ‘quick fix’” (p.33). Improvement Science focuses on using local, timely data to

engage in learning or improvement cycles that are context specific, rather than broad-

scale technical solutions.

Changing Landscape in Education

In Tinkering Towards Utopia, authors Tyack and Cuban (2001) best frame the

historical challenges to school reform acknowledging that much of the “reforms” have

come from the outside in. They further state that many reforms and changes in education

do not occur precisely due to the structure of decision making that does not take key
 5
stakeholder perspectives into consideration. Among reasons that people are leaving the

profession is the negative public perception of teachers and the teaching profession.

Walton and Polluck (2022) of The New York Times note the responsibility of “the

nation’s politicians, who’ve neglected and underfunded education for years, and scored

cheap political points vilifying teachers” (paragraph 6). It appears the structural

perspective also does not, at least to a great extent, consider the complexity of change

within the variability of the people involved in the change. Following the passage of the

No Child Left Behind Act of 2002, educators were to be held accountable for achievement

gains that became illuminated through the use of widespread standardized testing.

Altruistic in its motives, the mechanics of the legislation became problematic as they led

to an expanded focus on summative data-informed practices for evaluation, rather than on

formative data-informed practices that would improve instruction and help educators

learn what works in their particular context.

The implementation of "interventions” or “programs” based on summative data,

without regard for context, was a natural byproduct of schools striving to improve their

baseline scores. Peterson, Carlile and McDaniel (2022) assert, “large scale experiments

tend to mislead rather than inform practice and are a major reason that efforts to reform

high poverty schools have had limited success” (p.2). Using a more contextual approach,

Peterson, et al. continue, “There must be a critical reexamination of current systems,

policies, and practices using a lens that is committed to making the changes necessary to

improve outcomes for all” (p. 5). They, along with the Carnegie Foundation for the

Advancement of Teaching and renowned educational leaders such as Tony Bryk (2020)

assert that Improvement Science (IS) offers the most hope for improvement solutions that
 6
are not top down, are context specific, and use localized data to help teachers and leaders

identify the change ideas that need to be adopted, adapted, or abandoned, using local data

in short cycles of improvement inquiry. In addition to top-down mandated changes,

initiative overload and initiative fatigue may also be contributing to educator burnout or

disengagement.

The shift from technocratic leadership to one of authentic leadership necessitates

a renewed focus on the human element of schools. Paul Begley (2006) defines authentic

leadership as leaders who encapsulate professionally effective, ethically sound, and

consciously reflective practices in educational administration. (p.570) Begley describes

such leadership as “knowledge-based, values informed, and executed with skill (p. 570).

He further states:

Leadership by definition refers to practices that extend beyond the usual

procedural context of organizational management. Authentic leadership implies a

genuine kind of leadership – a hopeful, open-ended, visionary and

creative response to social circumstances, as opposed to the more traditional

dualistic portrayal of management and leadership practices characteristic of now

obsolete and superseded research on effective principal practices of a technical

nature. Moreover, in recent years management has been negatively portrayed as

mechanistic, relatively shortsighted, and a precedent-focused enterprise. Begley

promotes an integrated image of leadership and management that is more

in keeping with current times is values-informed leadership – a form of leadership

that acknowledges and accommodates, in an integrative way, the legitimate needs

of individuals, groups, organizations, communities and cultures –not just the

 7
organizational perspectives that are the usual focus of most leadership literature

(p. 570).

Similar to the shift from technocratic leadership to authentic leadership is the shift

in higher education leadership preparation programs from an antiquated preparation of

PhD school leaders who are trained in research methodology to transformative,

practitioner-scholar EdD programs that focus on impacting practice through the multi-

paper dissertation or job-embedded studies of improvement such as IS studies (Hinnant-

Crawford et al. (2023).

This dissertation is guided by Portland State University Graduate Studies policy

(n.d.) multiple-paper electronic dissertation format, with the focus of my papers including

my journey as a practitioner-scholar in an EdD program and an examination of my

leadership in turbulent times. While examining the conditions of one person’s leadership

journey may not provide a definitive road map for success of others in different

contexts, self-study as research has gained traction in academia. Hauge (2021), citing

Bullough and Pinnegar (2004), state self-study is, “used in relation to teaching and

research on practice with the intention of better understanding of both oneself (in the

different roles one holds as teacher educator), instruction, teaching and learning; and the

development of knowledge related to these factors” (p. 1). Pinnegar and Hamilton (2009)

narrow the definition further stating that self-study, “seeks to explore the gap between

who I am and who I would like to be in my practice” (p.12). The goal of self-study

should benefit both oneself and others who have the opportunity to learn from an

experience vicariously. Hauge (2021) notes, “This means that self-study should not only

be of significance to the person who is conducting the examination, but also of

 8
importance for creating meaning and contribute to increased understanding and

knowledge for other teacher educators” (p.2).

This dissertation examines how we as leaders can help the people in our

organizations thrive in challenging and turbulent times, and just as importantly, how

leaders can maintain our efforts without experiencing compassion fatigue or burning out

ourselves. In a recent article, Kendrick (2021) notes, “The consequences of ignoring

educational caregivers’ burnout and compassion fatigue might lead to a high turnover of

professionals, an inability to attract new employees and difficulty retaining experienced

professionals” (paragraph 15). The theoretical framework supporting this exploration

includes research on the “invisible backpack” of everything that is impacting our ability

to lead in turbulent times, a backpack that we carry while working in education; our

values and purpose in our work; and how to sustain the spirit of social justice leaders.

Following the PSU guidelines for the multi-paper electronic dissertation, this dissertation

will include an introduction, three papers prepared for publication, and a conclusion that

ties the concepts together that is also being prepared for publication. The articles include

the following:

1. The Multi-Paper Dissertations: Lessons Learned as a Doctoral Candidate

2. Stronger Leadership through Personal Crises: Invisible Backpack

3. Who Are You, Where Are You Going, and…. Why?

4. Conclusion: Sustainable Leadership During Turbulent Times

Researcher Positionality

It is important to acknowledge my positionality in a world that privileges people

 9
based on race, gender, sexuality, and socio-economic status. I am a white,

heteronormative, male in a position of power in schools. Based on this positionality,

I know that I have unearned privileges, and my experiences are not fully transferable to

others whom our society does not privilege in the same role.

I am now in my 25th year in education. During that time, I have served in

multiple roles, including as an elementary teacher, special education teacher, high school

dean, basketball coach, and administrator. Potentially due to my privileged status as a

white male, I became an assistant principal at age 27, was soon thereafter offered a role

working for a prestigious educational consulting firm (McREL) and then the state

department of education, which led me back to a district office where I became a

principal of an elementary, then middle school. By my 39th birthday, I was an assistant

superintendent of a large urban school district. At this point, I was on track to serve as

superintendent by the age of 40. In a study conducted by Rosette et al. (2010), it was

found that when an organization credits a white leader for their work they were evaluated

as “more effective leaders and as having more leadership potential” (p.758). I believe

I have benefitted by this bias as well. As a principal, my measures of “success” were

based on performance reviews, praise by central administration and school boards, and

from a population who also benefits from privileges based on their positionality: a lot of

public praise from mostly white families.

However, as many educators have experienced in the past several years, my world

shifted dramatically. Loved ones in my immediate family started experiencing significant

struggles with mental health, and my perception of the “path” that I was meant to be on,

no longer looked or felt appealing. Both my mother and father were diagnosed with
 10
cancer and an internal reckoning took root. I took a critical look at my professional life

choices and, at that moment, I believed where I could do my best work was in the school

where I had served as principal for the previous six years. I love my job. I love helping

students, staff and families.

However, I have seen significant changes in the world of education since my first

day as an elementary teacher. When I first became an administrator, there were hundreds

of applicants for each position. The teachers who were applying for positions were well

trained and well educated. Most applicants had experience in education and were looking

to transfer, or they were internal student teachers whom we trained. Now, I often post a

position and get fewer than five candidates, and not all of them are qualified. In addition,

I see my principal colleagues leaving for other positions, and more often, leaving to work

outside of the field of education all together. The self-study process of this dissertation

may provide tools for me and others to help stave off the mass exodus, and it doing so,

perhaps provide some insight on how to sustain ourselves in our efforts to lead schools

where every child is successful.

Validates the Existence of the problem

The burnout that is causing educator to leave the profession has increased

substantially during the global pandemic. Ed Week Research Center (2022) at Merrimack

College reveal that 44% of public-school teachers report they plan to leave in the next

two years (compared to 29% in 2010). The danger of the potential departure of current

teachers is the fact that fewer people are pursuing teaching as a career path. According
 11
to a recent study, between 2008 and 2019, enrollment in teacher preparation programs

dropped by over a third (Knox, 2022).

Adding to the complexity of burnout is the increase in mistrust of the public-

school teachers and leaders. In her book, Trust Matters: Leadership for Successful

Schools, Tschannen-Moran (2014) notes the changing dynamic of school leadership

stating

Schools once enjoyed the implicit trust of their community school leaders felt

they could take for granted the trust of their internal and external constituencies.

School leadership was, by and large, a high-status, low-stress job. Now, too often,

the reverse. We live in an era in which all of our social institutions and their

leaders have come under unprecedented scrutiny” (p. x).

Where teachers and leaders were once trusted, respected community servants, we

are now subject to online attacks, attacks on our families, and an assumption of

incompetence. We experience scrutiny unprecedented, and because we are human, we are

likely to make errors, and those errors are now widely shared in social media, resulting in

public shaming. Many districts manage the public relations around errors and do not

allow principals to correct the record or even contribute to correcting the record, resulting

in an assumption that what is shared on social media is correct. The trauma of our public

health pandemic, racial and political strife, and threats to the very safety of our school

children on a daily basis cause me, and many of my colleagues, unbelievable stress,

contributing to the exodus of school leaders. During current political times, this scrutiny

has only increased, with vague local and state laws resulting in teachers and school
 12
leaders being fired for reading books or sharing ideas that had become widely accepted

during a previous political administration.

Research Stance

At its inception, I would argue that education as we know it is rooted in the

original ideals of forced assimilation towards white, male, upper class norms. Within this

system, when students struggle, rather than address the white, male, upper class norm

upon which public schools were founded, educational “bandages” are applied. This

contributes to a deficit model for students of color, female and non-binary students, and

students living in poverty The goal of this structural functional epistemology is to strive

towards efficiency. Preserving the existing social order in which white, male, upper class

students are privileged seems to be the goal. Citing work from Capper (2018), describes

this noting, “Educators from structural functional epistemologies tend to view the

existing social order and its institutions as legitimate and desirable” (p. 11). In other

words, not only do instructional methods remain static, so do systems of decision-

making. The tendency here may favor school leaders to strive for harmony rather than

conflict when facing difficult decisions that are intended to end the existing structure of

privilege. When we rely on tradition and established formal mechanisms for input, as

well as informal relationships and agreements, leaders may be seeking confirmation

rather than confrontation.

Within the interpretivist epistemology linked to the problem of practice, the

social interaction of people and their perception are the primary reason the status quo

remains intact. Capper (2018) states that when looking through an interpretivist
 13
epistemological framework, “we see the notions of ‘the way we do things around here’

reflected in our systems of privilege and power that most often reflects white and other

privileged assumptions... the expectation that all will fit into this culture of simultaneous

privilege and oppression” (p. 62). The potential exploration of how members of external

stakeholder groups perceive access to, or have a sense of agency or influence differs. I

am intrigued by the notion of “intent versus impact” and how interpretivists may be

unaware of exclusionary practices. An interpretivist may strive for harmony more than

conflict. In doing so, when looking at the problem of practice, practitioners may often

seek confirmation bias that validates the efforts they are making and can blind them

to the true impacts of practices and policies on teacher and students, particular students of

color.

This problem of practice mostly lives in the critical theory epistemology. The goal

of leaders informed by critical theory is to identify and address sources of domination,

alienation, exploitation, repression and competition for resources that have been reduced

in order to marginalize already underserved populations. Within Bolman and Deal’s

(2013) political frame, regardless of who “wins” or “loses” in the conceptualization of

politics, the existing system remains intact. For example, in the pandemic, everybody

lost. However, the economic impact of the pandemic had disproportional negative impact

on families of color and students of color (Fortuna et al., 2020). When we experience a

community-wide tragedy, everybody loses. When some are disproportionately impacted,

we again have to ask for whom the system is working and for whom it is not. We also

need to ask, “how do we recover individually and collectively?”

 14
Significance of Study

As noted earlier, principals have the second largest impact on student outcomes,

after teacher impact. We now know that “Principals are pivotal for creating schools that

meet the needs of all students” (Su-Keene & DeMatthews, 2022, p.210). This exodus is

accelerating post pandemic. Principals are experiencing greater levels of workload, stress,

and burnout. Regretfully the tools to handle this increased level of stress are often

framed as “self-care.” This may include consistent exercise and better sleep (Su-Keene &

DeMatthews). Organizations who focus on these issues are missing a significant element.

Reekie (2022) notes, “Self-care should never be seen solely as an individual

responsibility” (paragraph 5). Organizations and leaders within the organizations have a

responsibility to their staff.

Principals leave their jobs for many reasons; however, principal turnover has been

on the rise nationally (Snodgrass Rangel 2018). Su-Keene and DeMatthews (2022)

highlight how this practice correlates to lower educational experience for students noting,

Schools with higher rates of principal turnover often struggle to recruit and retain high-

quality teachers, which exacerbates long-standing equity issues within communities.

Given the importance of school leadership, principal turnover is a central equity concern

confronting schools across the country and around the world (p. 211).

When talking about educational significance, I remain affirmed that, how we lead

matters as much, if not more than what we focus on. In his paper studying principals in

China, theorists Tain, et al. (2012) note that principals have an important role in

alleviating teacher burnout, with transformative leadership providing hopeful results.

 15
Transformative versus Transactional Leadership

Principals have the unique opportunity to enact practices quickly. We need to

listen as much as inform, and at times, be willing to look critically in the mirror, as

opposed to looking out a window, to more effectively enact the changes needed. Often,

we as principals, led the way we have been led in the past. In a speech made by Anthony

Muhammed regarding the key learning from in his book Transforming School Culture to

the Minneapolis School District principals, Dr. Muhammed discussed the phenomenon of

why change is so hard in school systems. He stated, “When you look at educators, we

need to reflect more on their own personal experiences. Most of the educators are white.

Most of them were successful in school when they were students. They went to college,

they student-taught in a traditional school, they then went into the traditional school

system to teach... Why would they teach any other way than the way that worked for

them? We are asking a group to think ‘outside of the box’ when they have only ever been

in the box?” (2018).

Heifitz and Laurie (1997) described leadership actions which include leading

from the “balcony view.” Heifitz and Laurie assert leaders must “View patterns in the

environment as if they were on a balcony. It does them no good to be swept up in the

field of action" and miss important, unfolding patterns of change (p. 125). In the book,

Leadership on the Line, Heifitz and Linsky (2017) assert

The balcony view is especially important when the organization is facing what

they call "adaptive challenges" (i.e., systemic problems with no ready answers): Without

the capacity to move back and forth between the field of action and the balcony, to

reflect day to day, moment to moment, on the many ways in which an organization's
 16
habits can sabotage adaptive work, a leader easily and unwittingly becomes a

prisoner of the system. The dynamics of adaptive changes are far too complex to keep

track of, let alone influence, if leaders stay only on the field of play (pp. 125-126).

Similar to his description of teachers, principals are in a spot of continuing the

practices, and at times perpetuating the same mistakes, they had experienced as they were

led. Principals need to be reflective and “get on the balcony” to truly observe what is

happening to ascertain how best to proceed. Henderson, Hoy, and later Tschannen-Moran

(2014) states, “Authentic behavior consists of three basic aspects— accountability,

avoiding manipulation, and being “real” rather than simply playing a role” (p.27).

As principals shift their focus from more technocratic management to true

authentic leadership, skills must shift. According to researcher Zebylas (2010), principal

preparation programs often focus on, “The effectiveness and efficiency of schools. This

narrow emphasis fails to prepare school leaders to engage in the difficult emotional work

that requires a shift in values, attitudes, and practices and limits their ability to address

fundamental social justice issues” (p.26). As Tschannen-Moran (2014) writes, “School

leaders bear the largest responsibility for setting a tone of trust” (p.15). Hoerr (2022)

notes that:

Too often, the main thrust of a principal’s job is viewed as judging.

That’s understandable because an important part of leadership is deciding among

competing voices and conflicting visions…. Exceptional principals create an

environment in which everyone grows. They reach out and use empathy to

understand and appreciate others’ feelings and perspectives (p.3).

 17
We have not been formally trained in focusing on how we harness the use of

empathy to build a coalition to support students. We use skills in emotional intelligence

to make sure the teachers feel connected, heard, and supported. I once had a mentor tell

me, “There are two kinds of people who work in schools—those who teach, and those

who support teachers” (personal communication).

The power of empathy has recently become more prevalent in everyday

discussions, perhaps because of the times in which we live. Ventura (2018) says,

Empathy lets us better understand the people we are trying to serve and gives

us perspective and insight that can drive greater, more effective actions. The

seemingly magical power of empathy is the connection it helps us form with other people

(p.5).

Brown captures the essence of these skills, stating, “We desperately need more

leaders who are committed to courageous, wholehearted leadership and who are self-

aware enough to lead from their hearts, rather than unevolved leaders who lead from hurt

and fear” (Brown).

While the bulk of the literature is how leaders can be more authentic themselves,

there was limited information as to how they can also stay afloat in times of great

distress. Again, according to researcher Zembylas, (2010)

The school leaders' emotional struggles have significant implications for their

decision making, well-being, and overall leadership style. For instance, there is

research that shows how school leaders are constantly engaged in emotion

management processes, often with serious implications not only for their

emotional health but also for their professional effectiveness; at the same time,
 18
however, research also documents how mechanisms of emotion management help

school leaders promote their own agenda, survive the high emotional demands of

school leadership, and bring meaningful changes to their school (p.27).

The principal is at the intersection of the community and the school. Principals

have the capacity to both make decisions and determine who gets included in that

process. As Horsford, et al. describe in their book, The Politics of Education Policy in an

Era of Inequality (2019),

Principals are in a unique position, since they have to mediate policies and

politics horizontally (school-community relations) and vertically (from central

office to teachers and students and vice versa). Almost every decision a

principal makes will privilege someone over someone else, which make these

decisions highly political and come with ethical considerations (p. 99).

Citing work from Blase and Anderson (1995), Horsford et al. (2019) continued to

identify key traits of principals of being either, “open” or “closed” as it relates to

inclusive of input. If a principal is open, there is the potential for true change to occur, but

only when the topics are not “transactional” in nature.

 19

Figure 1.1 Micropolitical Leadership Matrix

Note: This figure is adapted from Horsford, S. D., Scott, J. T., & Anderson, G. L.

(2019). The politics of education policy in an era of inequality possibilities for

democratic schooling. Routledge. (p.100)

Transformative leadership is key, as is authentic leaders who are able to connect

with staff, students and families in meaningful ways. We need principals who are aware

of their own needs and well-being so they can sustain the efforts and provide leadership

to the entire community. We need principals who respond to the needs of their

colleagues, teachers, families, and students and the complexities of their unique

situations. I am reminded of the importance of culturally responsive, reciprocal,

caring relationships (Gay, 2010). My mentor reminds me that “nobody cares what you

know, until they know that you care.” It is my hope that this multiple paper dissertation

improves my leadership, as well as the leadership of others who are leading in

tumultuous times.
 20
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 29
Chapter Two: Scholarly Practitioner Paper 1

Paper 1: The Multi-Paper Dissertations: Lessons Learned as a Doctoral Candidate

(The introductory section was co-written by Dr. Deborah S. Peterson and Doctoral

Candidate Paul Marietta).

Practitioners interested in pursuing a terminal degree must consider whether to

enroll in a traditional PhD program or an EdD program focused on preparing practitioner

scholars (Perry, 2012). When considering whether to pursue the PhD or the EdD, it helps

to ask what the purpose of your dissertation is. If the purpose is to conduct research, there

is no doubt that the traditional research focus, resulting in a five-chapter dissertation,

effectively prepares education researchers.

However, for practitioners whose professional roles require practitioner expertise,

the EdD, with its scholarly practitioner focus, is appropriate doctoral program (CPED,

n.d.). The Carnegie Project on the EdD (CPED) has led the EdD redesign effort and

includes the following principles for rigorous EdD programs:

CPED’s framework includes questions of equity, ethics, and social justice to bring about

solutions to complex problems of practice;

Prepares leaders who can construct and apply knowledge to make a positive difference in

the lives of individuals, families, organizations, and communities;

Provides opportunities for candidates to develop and demonstrate collaboration and

communication skills to work with diverse communities and to build partnerships;

Provides field-based opportunities to analyze problems of practice and use multiple

frames to develop meaningful solutions;

 30
Is grounded in and develops a professional knowledge base that integrates both practical

and research knowledge, that links theory with systemic and systematic inquiry; and

Emphasizes the generation, transformation, and use of professional knowledge and

practice (Perry, 2012, para. 14).

Thus, the EdD prepares scholarly-practitioners to be among the highest

performing school or district leaders. CPED includes over 135 schools of education who

are leading the charge to transform the Education Doctorate into the Professional Practice

Doctorate in Education. Members are committed to rethinking advanced educational

preparation through improved EdD program designs that offer academic rigor, practical

impact, applied research, and value. CPED, the first action-oriented effort working to

distinguish the EdD from the PhD, defines the EdD as one that prepares educators to

become Scholarly Practitioners who can apply appropriate and specific practices,

generate new knowledge, and steward the profession (CPED, n.d.).

While many academics consider the EdD to be less rigorous, CPED has

effectively countered this narrative by questioning why completing the traditional

research coursework including quantitative or qualitative studies and completing a

traditional study would be considered categorically more rigorous than practitioner-

focused, job-embedded research that results in improving outcomes for students in

schools or districts. Leading change in complex organizations, in particular when leaders

are working to end educational disparities for those historically underserved, is complex

and rigorous work, as evidenced by the fact that so few educational organizations in the

US have successfully addressed educational disparities among children of color, recent

immigrants, and those living in poverty.

 31
The Dissertation in Practice (DIP) and multi-paper dissertations reflect

characteristics of EdD dissertations in that they identify a problem of practice, confirm its

existence, include a serious literature review, identify potential solutions that are

applicable to a particular setting, discuss the implications of learnings and in a concluding

chapter, recommend next steps for study or implications for implementation. Thus,

characterizing the DIP as lacking in rigor reflects a shallow analysis replete with biases

from traditional academics. Traditional academics’ arguments are soundly rebuffed by

the CPED members and its network (CPED, n.d.; Perry, 2012).

As Perry (2011) argues, considering the EdD “PhD lite” is an inappropriate

characterization of the EdD. To give more context to the evolution of the EdD’s

characteristics, Perry (2012) provides an extensive examination of the history of revising

other practitioner terminal degrees, beginning in the 1920’s. She includes the political

backstory of why the research sequence was retained when PhD programs converted to

EdD programs. Not unexpected, internal university politics were at play. Precisely due to

internal politics, the Harvard EdD programs retained the traditional research requirements

of traditional PhD programs, including the traditional research sequence, instead of

engaging in a revision of the requirements of the EdD program (Perry, 2012).

Revisions in the requirements of the terminal degree of medical doctors and

lawyers required practitioner-related evidence of competence as a practitioner. For

example, your family doctor does not complete a 5-chapter dissertation. Nor does your

dermatologist or orthopedic surgeon. Family doctors, like dermatologists and orthopedic

surgeons, receive two years of medical training followed by two to three years of clinical

rotations; these newly-minted MDs then complete three to four additional years in
 32
residencies in which they receive on-the-job supportive training. When our loved ones

need surgery, we want the most skilled surgeon to perform that complex surgery -- not

the most published medical researcher who completed a research study.

Because of the influence of Harvard’s policies and practices on other institutions

around the nation, other universities around the nation followed suit and continued to

require traditional research for the terminal practitioner degree in education, the EdD.

While terminal degree programs for medical doctors and lawyers were revised to include

complete job-embedded, rigorous training to earn their terminal degrees (the MD or JD),

the terminal degree for practitioners in the field of education were required to complete a

traditional study. The bias that favors traditional research– even in practitioner-scholar

EdD programs – reflects shallow thinking and lack of clarity regarding the purpose of the

EdD.

Perry (2012) also explicates the development of the Carnegie Project on the EdD,

a project begun in 2007 with the support of the Carnegie Foundation for the

Advancement of Teaching. Despite the considerable success of CPED and the Carnegie

Foundations support, the bias in favor of traditional research and the five-chapter

dissertation persists.

To be clear, we are not dismissing the importance of quantitative or qualitative

studies that inform education practices. We are not saying we do not need highly trained

PhD researchers whose culturally responsive, scientific inquiry informs practice. We are,

however, distinguishing the skill of conducting high-quality research from the skill of

using context-based research to lead for equity in a specific school or district. As an

example of context-based research completed in a community, we refer to Diaz, Strang,

 33
Unger, and Van’t Hof (2017) who were awarded the CPED dissertation of the year for

their job-embedded research that resulted in a multi-faceted community-based response

to the discovery of the lead exposure to residents and schoolchildren in the Flint,

Michigan area. Their dissertation resulted in a widespread, multi-pronged response

including educational brochures, you tube videos, a resource web site, and community

engagement in an age-appropriate, research-based, culturally responsive plan to address a

public health crisis that impacted the education and health of school children and their

families. However, Storey et al. (2015) found in their examination of the qualities of

submitted dissertations for the 2013 CPED dissertation of the year award that most

submissions did not include evidence of if or how their dissertations impacted practice,

one of the explicit goals of CPED and dissertations in practice (CPED, n.d.). We have yet

to meet a k-12 principal, director, or superintendent who gushes about how the traditional

five-chapter dissertation prepared them to reduce educational disparities or lead equity

initiatives more effectively in schools.

The Evolution of CPED Influence and Rigorous EdD Dissertations at One

Institution

(Note: the following section was written solely by Deborah Peterson)

At Portland State University in the Educational Leadership and Policy

department, Dr. Peterson’s mentor, Professor emeritus Tom Chenoweth, pioneered the

concept of a dissertation consisting of a product of compelling interest, with one of his

doctoral students successfully defending her dissertation which was comprised of a

handbook on passing a school facilities bond in a low-income school district (Florence,

 34
2014). When Professor Chenoweth retired, Dr. Peterson was appointed as assistant

professor and given the task of leading a change process to revise the education

administration EdD (Peterson, 2017). The work team successfully and unanimously

approved dissertations that include “projects that are developed in collaboration with

district, state, regional, and national educational organizations that are of value to the

educational organization of the EdD student as well as to the field of educational

administration in general” (internal department communication). Further, the team noted

that education administration dissertations embodied these characteristics: identifies a

problem of practice in educational administration leadership for equity in a k-12

educational setting; 2. Uses common data sets; or 3. Is evidence driven. In addition, we

noted that the dissertation may be a “capstone project that produces a product of

compelling interest to the school/district as well as the broader educational administration

community.

These new policies were unanimously approved by the department and doctoral

program council. Since leading the revision of our education administration EdD, Dr.

Peterson chaired ten of educational leadership doctoral dissertation committees. Every

doctoral student was working full time in school or district leadership role and these

successful graduates included three leaders of color, two bilingual leaders, six men and

four women. Many of the students were first generation college graduates. Following the

EdD program policies, two students collected and analyzed a common data set, two

completed the multi-paper dissertation, and six completed a traditional five-chapter

dissertation with a focus on equity. Several doctoral students were extremely anxious

about the traditional research sequence and/or their writing skills. Dr. Peterson followed
 35
Dewey’s concept of learning by doing by co-conducting a traditional research study with

one student, co-writing chapters or articles with several students, but always focusing on

the practitioner’s goal of improving the practice of school leadership. The program

policies also led to the endorsement of using job embedded research using Improvement

Science with considerable nationally recognized outcomes (Peterson, 2016; Peterson,

2017; Peterson et al., 2017; Peterson & Carlile, 2021; 2022

Within the past several years, the early pioneering work of Professor Tom

Chenoweth was followed by the leadership of then-department chair Professor Candyce

Reynolds. She whole-heartedly endorsed the working principles of CPED along with the

use of job-embedded research such as Improvement Science. In addition, Professor

Reynolds subsequently was the first doctoral committee chair in the educational

leadership and policy department to chair a multi-paper dissertation on leadership in

higher education. Professor Reynolds’ guidance, along with PSU graduate studies policy

on the multi-paper dissertation, gave Dr. Peterson the support she needed to chair

doctoral students’ multi-paper dissertations. The PSU multi-paper dissertation allows for

two types of electronic theses or dissertations (ETDs) as per Portland State University

policy:

There are two standard formats for ETDs—the monograph format and the multi-

paper format. The monograph format focuses on a single subject and has a single

author whereas the multi-paper format is a compilation of papers (typically three),

often in a journal article style format, and may have multiple authors. The multi-

paper format is more commonly used in dissertations than theses. In the multi-

paper format the papers do not have to be closely related to each other, but it is
 36
required that there be both an introductory and concluding chapter that link the

papers together with a common theme. The decision whether to use a monograph

or multi-paper form is made in conjunction with your adviser and committee

(PSU Graduate School, n.d.)

As an example of the multi-paper dissertation, Dr. Carpenter, one of the top rising

school superintendents in the nation and leader of one of the top places to work in

Oregon, used Improvement Science to lead his school district during the dual crises of a

wildfire evacuation and the pandemic (Carpenter, 2022). Writing several articles and

chapters in books for his multi-paper dissertation, Dr. Carpenter said this regarding his

successful dissertation:

For me, the multi- paper dissertation served as the culmination of the research and

implementation strategies that were already representing significant contributions

in the field. This innovative approach to the dissertation model not only allowed

me to demonstrate expertise and mastery of the work I was already engaged in,

but also allowed me to advance my knowledge, push my boundaries, and make an

actual impact in the community which I serve (private correspondence).

Dr. Cass Thonstad, a central office administrator and current principal also used

Improvement Science to improve attendance and math scores. Dr. Thonstadt

subsequently used Improvement Science principals to design and serve as the founding

principal of a new alternative school. For her multi-paper dissertation, Thonstadt (2022)

authored articles submitted to a prestigious practitioner journal and was also successfully

published in books on Improvement Science. The dissertations of both Dr. Thonstad and

Dr. Carpenter met the PSU requirements for the Education Administration specialization
 37
as well as the PSU multi-paper dissertation. Their work was presented to the committee

as an electronic dissertation, as per policy, and then reduced to a traditional paper format

for final submission to the Graduate Studies office, again, as per university policy.

However, beyond meeting expectations for our department, college, and university, their

multi-paper dissertations impacted practitioners in the field as well as their own practice.

Peterson and Carlile (2021, 2022) include numerous job-embedded Improvement Science

efforts that reduce inequities in education and highlight the work of several successful

doctoral students.

When the Traditional Five-Chapter Dissertation Is No Longer Relevant

(This next section is written solely by Doctoral Candidate Paul Marietta).

As a doctoral student, I wanted my learnings and experiences to be heard, to be

used to inform what others are doing, to make a difference in our profession. I followed

our College of Education policies regarding the doctoral qualifying examination, which is

a “core paper” that reflects our learning in the core doctoral courses. This paper was over

30 pages long on a topic that I had completely lost interest in by the time I had finished it.

I found myself unmotivated and lost, an experience other people in doctoral programs

often discuss.

The idea of writing a full traditional dissertation filled with jargon that would only

be read by few others in academia felt disingenuous. It felt like jumping through a hoop.

Most doctoral students at our university expand on their core paper to develop the

traditional dissertation. As I began to write my full dissertation proposal, feeling more

and more that my dissertation was disconnected from what I, and thousands of school
 38
leaders, were experiencing with the pandemic in full swing. I came to the realization that

I was refining my writing in a way that was becoming increasingly more academic and

frankly, making it less and less accessible to my colleagues in the field. In an opinion

piece for the Saskatchewan University, Dosch (2018) highlights the phenomenon noting,

“Academics keep themselves disconnected by continuing to use this inaccessible

language, and because of this, the world often does not listen to them” (paragraph 8).

And then, in addition to living and leading a school during the pandemic, another

crisis hit: both of my parents became ill with cancer. My purpose and goals were forever

changed. Understandably, my parents’ health took priority, and the need for my

dissertation to be meaningful and impactful also increased. While I struggled with the

changing purpose in my life and my studies, I decided to take a leave of absence from the

doctoral program.

When it came time to rejoin the doctoral program, I couldn’t bear the thought of

continuing with the traditional five-chapter dissertation. It made no sense to me, an

experienced principal who had successfully served in numerous building and central

office leadership roles and yet who was struggling with the dual crises of family health

matters and leading a school during the global pandemic. When my dissertation chair

talked with me and we discussed options for the dissertation, she offered to support me in

the multi-paper dissertation.

I knew instantly it was the right match for me.

I continually read publications, blogs, and short articles to keep myself current in

the field. The idea that I could write articles myself allows me to engage with the learning

in the way I feel is beneficial for both myself and for others struggling to lead during
 39
extremely challenging times. The articles I am writing for my multi-paper dissertation are

direct, written in language that is easily relatable to the readers, and most important,

helping practitioners with what they need at the moment. The three articles are closely

related, although they don’t have to be as per PSU policy. I am writing a rigorous

introductory chapter that examines existing literature on leadership and exposes a gap in

what we know the stressors of leading a school are and how we support – or ignore -

those who are struggling with unprecedented family and community challenges.

I believe my strongest connection to the multi-paper dissertation is that my

audience is comprised of my peers, other leaders looking for examples of what is

working, what is not, and authentically identifying where we leaders are struggling. It is

rare for leaders to admit that we are feeling ill equipped, tapped out, and exhausted. And

yet, through my university courses, I enjoyed and learned from collaboration and

authentic discourse with my fellow students and professors. I also appreciated the

insights of my professors. What I didn’t believe was relevant were the expectations of the

traditional dissertation study and resulting five-chapter dissertation, the inability to

connect with practitioners through my learning and writing, and the extremely narrow

audience of the traditional dissertation: researchers. I wanted to impact practice, my own

and that of other school and district leaders. Practitioners love to hear from other

practitioners about “what worked for me when....” The multi-paper dissertation provides

a forum for me to share my learning and for others to learn with me. In addition, the

multi-paper dissertation allowed me to engage in continuous learning in my role as

principal, continuous growth in the community where I lead, and continuous

improvement as a leader. I’m consistently having rigorous conversations with other

 40
practitioners. I am choosing journals that I and most of my colleagues read to become

more effective leaders. My goal is to publish in those journals.

The other critical element of the multi-paper dissertation was the research

framework of self-study. According to Hauge (2021), self-study should not only be of

significance to the person who is conducting the examination, but also of importance for

creating meaning and contribute to increased understanding and knowledge for other

teacher educators (p.2). To be clear, I am not saying the multi-paper dissertation is better

than a traditional five-chapter dissertation. Nor am I saying that self-study is better than

more traditional qualitative or quantitative research methods. There is both a need for,

and room for, all in the educational ecosystem. It’s about your professional goals, how

you want to impact the profession, and who your audience is: academics or practitioners

and being the bridge between scholars and practitioners as a scholarly practitioner.

Advice to EdD Students

(The following sections was written by Doctoral Candidate Paul Marietta and Dr.

Deborah S. Peterson).

Based on our experiences, we offer the following advice to EdD students who

find the traditional five-chapter dissertation a mismatch for their professional goals as

school and district leaders. Our guidance is especially directed to those who are first

generation college graduates, those for whom higher education has created barriers either

to access to the doctorate or barriers to successfully completing the doctorate based on

your race, ethnicity, home language, work responsibilities, or your desire to learn and
 41
grow as a practitioner, the documentation of which doesn’t fit into a traditional five-

chapter dissertation.

Lunenberg and Irby (2008) note that doctoral students should consider the

potential chair’s expertise, their accessibility, their ability to give feedback in a timely

manner, success of their candidates’ dissertation defenses, personality styles, and their

research methodology preferences.

As Lunenberg and Irby (2008) note, feedback ability is critical. We’ve heard from

students whose chairs don’t respond to emails or won’t set meeting times. The doctoral

student finds themselves spending more time trying to connect with their chairs and

trying to get input or feedback than on the critical inquiry and improvement process of

their dissertation. We also have noticed that some chairs insist on a particular

methodology or a particular topic for the dissertation. For example, Dr. Carpenter chose a

dissertation modality that was a match for his focus and his role. Dr. Carpenter wrote one

of his articles for the multi-paper dissertation about what worked for him when he served

as a superintendent and his entire district was evacuated due to a wildfire – during a

pandemic. We concur with the broad concepts of Lunenberg and Irby, while adding some

additional considerations.

What Motivates Your Chair to be Your Chair?

We have heard too many stories of chairs who want to chair because of the

release time from teaching that many universities give them. Sadly, this can result in the

doctoral student having a chair who has no expertise in the topic or modality of

dissertation. We know of several students who had initially been assigned to chairs who
 42
had little expertise in the dissertation area, and who were passed along to another

potential chair when the paid professor release time allotment per doctoral student had

expired. Devastating to the doctoral students, they sought in vain to seek unpaid

volunteer chairs and ultimately left the doctoral program, with an incomplete dissertation.

Such practices result in derision of higher education and are extremely unfair to doctoral

students.

The Culturally Responsive Chair

Your chair needs to respect your cultural background and norms. You should not

have to change how you work best and thrive as a scholar-practitioner to complete your

dissertation. Your chair needs to work effectively with you as a leader, as a learner, as a

scholar-practitioner. Micro-aggressions based on a manifestation of diversity attack the

very core of who you are and will negatively impact your ability to complete your

dissertation. You need to feel a connection and have deep trust that the chair believes in

you, supports you in the way you need to be supported, and won’t let you fail. We

recommend you check in with peers, get to know the potential chairs by going to their

presentations, reading their work, and getting the confidential perspective of successful

doctoral students as to who might be a good match for who you are and how you work

best. We disagree with the advice of Lunenberg and Irby (2008) of choosing a chair

based on age or gender of the potential chair. We believe that culturally responsive chairs

are important.

Professional Experiences of the Chair

 43
We also encourage you to consider the professional experiences of your chair.

Dissertation chairs who are or have been practitioners may have more understanding if

the doctoral student texts that they’ll be late for a meeting due to a parent or a safety issue

that needs immediate attention. The last thing you want is to have a dissertation chair

who is angry that you put student safety before a dissertation meeting. We know of a

student whose job was to lead community engagement for 1,000 families who was told

by her professor to not attend the first community engagement event in her new school

leader role due to a conflict with a university class, ironically, a class on community

engagement. The student navigated this impossible situation as a first-generation college

graduate, bilingual, woman of color. Her cynicism regarding higher education was only

mitigated by the support of professors who had also been in highly-visible, demanding

leadership roles in schools and worked to address this impossible situation. Professor

Peterson is confident that had she not had a rigorous, caring, competent chair such as

Professor Carolyn Carr, who embodied all the characteristics described above, she would

never have finished her dissertation, and never would have gone on to prepare thousands

of school leaders, publish books on leadership for equity, or win awards for her equity

leadership. Having the right chair is worth the search.

Choosing Your Topic

Ensure that your chair is supportive of a dissertation topic that speaks to your

heart and contributes to your leadership for equity. Professor Peterson’s experiences as a

leader in elementary, middle and high schools where Latinx students were experiencing

educational disparities, along with her extended family’s experiences as Mexican-

 44
American school children, caused her to want to understand what the schools with no

educational disparities between white and Latinx students were doing. The dissertation

topic consumed her practice and research throughout her dissertation work and beyond.

The curiosity, inquiry, and implications for her academic work and consulting practice

continue. We encourage you to choose a topic that has this same impact on you, not the

topic that your chair has chosen for you. Doctoral students who choose a topic that speaks

to their intellectual curiosity, relates to their work as practitioners, that are rigorous

inquiries, and that result in personal and professional learning finish their dissertations.

Create and Follow a Reasonable Dissertation Work and Communication Plan

Professor Peterson has found that when her doctoral students and she co-create a

dissertation work plan that reflects their extremely busy work lives and their

responsibilities, the doctoral student is successful. She works side by side with students,

sitting with them in a writing room, to help them focus. She texts, emails, or has phone

calls at the times that work for the student, rather than just during proscribed office hours.

She receives permission for her office hours to officially be designated as “before or after

class or at a time mutually agreeable to the professor and student” to maximize her

support of students. Professor Peterson checks in with her doctoral students once a week

to be sure that every week she is supporting the student when they get stuck. She also

works to ensure the students are able to authentically communicate when they are stuck.

She is adamant that students not let a few weeks or a month or two or three go by if you

get stuck. Your chair should have ideas for helping you get unstuck. Use the

communication method that works best for you and your chair. Is it email? Text? Zoom?
 45
A decade ago, Professor Peterson’s doctoral students and she would meet every week in a

quiet coffee house, restaurant, or café, and they worked side by side for hours. In the past

several years, she and her students have replaced in-person meetings with an online

meeting platform to save travel time and increase time focusing on writing and

researching.

Policy Matters

We have shared a lot of information about procedures and policies in our

department and university. As Lunenberg and Irby (2008) note, it is critical to know

department, college, and university policy, especially if you experience a roadblock. With

the chair by your side, you will find advocates who know policy and will advocate for

you. When you hit a stumbling block, do not give up. Reach out to the advocates: your

dean, associate dean, dept chair, doctoral program chair, graduate studies chair, other

doctoral students. When one person puts a barrier in front of you, do not let them be the

roadblock that makes you a doctoral candidate who has finished “all but the dissertation.”

Find a way around that barrier. Too often it’s women, people of color, first generation

college students, or those who are younger and newer to the field who are targets of

roadblocks or lack a support system to address roadblocks. The education of the most

precious part of every family’s life, our children, is at stake. Through your work in

schools, and your multi-paper dissertation, sharing your research, leadership successes,

challenges, and learnings, you will change the lives of children and their families forever.
 46
References

Carpenter, R. & Peterson, D.S. (2019). “Using Improvement Science in professional

learning communities: From theory to practice.” (pp. 275-294). In R. Crowe, B.

N. Hinnant-Crawford, & D. Spaulding (Eds.), The Educational Leader’s Guide to

Improvement Science: Data, Design and Cases for Reflection. Myers Education

Press. Gorham, ME.

Carnegie Project on the EdD. (n.d.) The Framework.

Carpenter, R. (2022). Improvement science: Improving employee engagement.

Dissertation.

Diaz, C., Strang, M., Unger, A., & Van’t Hof, S., (2017) Using the design thinking

process to aid educators in their response to childhood lead exposure

Dosch, T (2018, January 12). Academic language limits accessibility, The Sheaf-

University of Saskatchewan Newspaper

https://thesheaf.com/2018/01/18/academic-language-limits-accessibility/

Florence, L. (2014). School district bond campaigns: Strategies that ensure successful

outcomes. Dissertations and Theses. Paper 1847.

https://doi.org/10.15760/etd.1846

Llewellyn, M. (2018). Embracing a language of spiritual inquiry (pp 141-155). In N.

Garman and M. Piantanida (Editors). The authority to imagine: The struggle

toward representation in dissertation writing. Learning Moments Press.

Lunenberg, F. and Irby, B. (2008). Writing the successful dissertation: Tips and strategies

for the students in the social and behavioral sciences. Corwin Press.

Perry, J. (Sept. 2012). To EdD or not to EdD? Phi Delta Kappan 94(1) 41-44.
 47
Peterson, D.S. (2016). Preparing scholarly practitioners: Transitioning to a CPED-

influenced Ed.D. CPED White Paper Project. Retrieved from

http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.cpedinitiative.org/resource/resmgr/docs/CPED_dat

a/white_papers/Peterson_Preparing_Scholarly.pdf?hhSearchTerms=%22Preparin

g+and+scholarly+and+practitioners%22

Peterson, D.S. (2017). Preparing scholarly practitioners. Impacting Education: Journal

on Transforming Professional Practice, 2(2017), 33-40.

Peterson, D.S. & Carlile, S.P. (2021). Improvement science: Promoting equity in

schools. Myers Education Press.

Peterson, D.S. & Carlile, S.P. (2022). Improvement science as a tool for school

enhancement: Solutions for better educational outcomes. Myers Education Press.

Peterson, D.S., Carlile, S.P., Olivar, M.E., & Thonstad, C. (2021). “Embedding

improvement science in principal licensure courses: Program redesign.” In R.

Crowe, B. N. Hinnant-Crawford, & D. Spaulding (Eds.), Teaching Improvement

Science in educational leadership: A Pedagogical Guide. Myers Education Press.

Peterson, D.S., Perry, J.A., Dostilio, L. D., & Zambo, D. (2016). Community-engaged

faculty: A must for preparing impactful EdD graduates. Metropolitan Universities

Journal, 27(2): 59-73. doi: 10.18060/21127

Portland State University Graduate School. (n.d.) Electronic thesis and dissertation

(ETD) formatting requirements. Retrieved from

https://www.pdx.edu/gradschool/etd-formatting-requirements
 48
Storey, V. A., Caskey, M. M., Hesbol, K. A., Marshall, J. E., Maughan, B., & Dolan, A.

W. (2015). Examining EdD dissertations in practice: The Carnegie Project on the

Education Doctorate. International HETL Review, 5(2).

Thonstadt, C. (2022). Increasing collaboration to improve student outcomes:

Improvement Science. Dissertation.

 49
Chapter Three: Scholarly Practitioner Paper 2

Paper 2: Stronger Leadership through Personal Crises: Invisible Backpack

Author(s): Paul Marietta, Deborah Peterson

Target Publication: Education Leadership

Central Theme: The global pandemic continues to shift our priorities at work and in our

daily lives. Like thousands of others, I wondered if I could continue leading while

helping my family through multiple family crises. This article will be submitted to a

practitioner journal that publishes articles with personal stories that inform professional

practice.

Stronger Leadership through Personal Crises: Invisible Backpack

Those People

I was drinking coffee at my sparkling stone countertop one recent, typically rainy

morning, preparing like I had so many other mornings, to go to work. Work being a

suburban school with 350 students, 9 languages, and moderately good test scores where I

serve as principal. That particular morning the coffee cup became increasingly,

unbearably heavy. I couldn’t lift the cup any more than I could lift my eyes to face the

truth: I had wronged others. I had judged. I had set my way of doing things as the only

way, the right way. It was at that moment that I realized I was guilty of hearing what

families were saying, but responding with a quick “yeah, I get it” and then moving on.

The truth was, I didn’t get it.

After trying to lift that small cup of coffee, failing miserably at even taking a sip, I

realized I had failed the students and families I was working with. And the teachers. They
 50
needed compassion, care, understanding--deep understanding--not just a quick “yeah, I

get it.” They deserved an understanding that comes from paying attention to their

gestures, the downturned eyes, the pursed lips, what they are saying and not saying. They

deserved my full attention, my deep compassion, and when I paused and said, “That must

have been hard,” they deserved to feel my care. I needed to pause to hear what they

needed me to deeply understand, not just “hear” and perfunctorily move on. In their book

The Listening Leader, authors Shane Safir and Michael Fullan (2017) note, “Listening

with emotional intelligence is crucial in working with communities affected by trauma”

(p.14).

That day, when even lifting a cup of coffee was too much, my invisible backpack

was so heavy, I couldn’t add another thing to it. The backpack already carried so much

more than my teachers, families, students, or friends would ever see. It held deep regret

of my hubris as a leader. Deep embarrassment of my judgment of other families. Fear of

how others would now judge me and those I love. Sadness that I parented my children

and expected specific results such as top grades in AP classes, honor society, or being in

the top 1% of their class to affirm my strong parenting. I should have nurtured and

supported my children’s uniqueness and their dreams, not mine. Now confronted with my

own challenges as a parent, I became more aware of how I judged the parents of my

students, students for whom our schools just aren’t working and never will. Students who

have been asking us for alternative ways to show their learning, alternative ways to

demonstrate their competency, and instead we placed the blame on their home life, their

family circumstances—anywhere but on those of us in the school system. Instead of us

responding to the students’ needs, I judged.

 51
As I looked through my invisible backpack, I never thought I would be that

parent or that leader. In my 25th year in education, 20 years as a leader at elementary and

secondary schools as well as leadership roles in the central office, I thought I’d seen it all.

I’ve met with wealthy parents, parents who just arrived from war-torn countries, families

who demanded more for their children, and families who hoped for more for their

children. I worked with brilliant, strong teachers and also with teachers who had lost

hope, lost their vision, their focus on kids. Whether parenting or teaching, I knew how it

should have been done, subconsciously framed as “do it like me.”

Then my world - and every family’s world - shifted.

When the pandemic hit, like so many others in our country who thought that only

those people struggle, my own family hit a wall. I was faced with supporting my school

and family even as my own parents suffered through cancer diagnoses and tragically

passed shortly after their retirement. I mourn their passing, and I also mourn that their

dreams, many of which they put on hold for their retirement years, are gone forever.

Unfulfilled.

The stressors of the pandemic, social uprising, and economic uncertainty don’t

even include the many personal tragedies my family and so many other families have

faced: illnesses, loss of community, loss of family, loss of hope. I’m not sure we fully

understand the short-term impact, let alone the long-term impact of these stressors. I just

know that we have to start creating the conditions for the invisible load in each person’s

backpack to be acknowledged, to be deeply understood, and to be the foundation for

supporting our teachers, families, and students. And ourselves.

 52
It used to be important to me that the families in my school saw me exuding

confidence, with exceptional organizational skills to meet deadlines, and technical

evidence of my competence as an educational leader. This skill set is important, but my

leadership priority has shifted.

We tell our teachers, “Kids don’t care what you know until they know you care.”

Researchers Jaciam Ramberg, et al. (2018) sought to find if there was relationship

between student’s perceptions of teachers caring and student achievement. The findings

suggest that these features of school effectiveness constitute an important foundation for

promoting the quality of teachers’ relationships with their students. Maybe one lesson

I’ve learned is that teachers, students, and families need the same thing from me. And the

way to do that is: be vulnerable, be empathetic, and be authentic. These three key

strategies helped me face a crisis and helped me heal; the strategies might also help you

as the leader everyone hopes will lead them through our crises. These strategies can serve

to build the foundation to have a transformative relationship with the people we serve, a

relationship that empowers, emboldens, and reflects the dignity of the person I’m

working with. Thomas and Parker (2021) point out the need for leaders to truly know the

constituents they serve. They state, “When school leaders have a deeper understanding of

what is going on in the lives of their students, there is the potential to alter assumptions

regarding their students’ realities inside and outside of school” (paragraph 4).

Be Vulnerable

There is a perceived risk in sharing your struggles. On one hand, some may

interpret the sharing of personal information and specifically sharing challenges, as

 53
spreading negativity across the organization. Others may note that it can be seen as

egocentric. I have found that the opposite can be even more damaging to the

organization. Masking your personal struggles can often create a culture of “toxic

positivity” where people feel an abundance of inauthenticity. Referencing the work of

Mark Brackett, the director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, Arianna

Prothero (2021) notes, "Toxic positivity" as it's known—or the papering over of

legitimate feelings of anxiety, stress, or despair with saccharine, out-of-the-box phrases

like, ‘look at the good things you've got’—doesn't promote resilience in children or

adults” (paragraph 3). Conversely, being overly guarded with your personal life creates a

wall between you and the people you serve. Both will leave staff with a feeling of not

being able to connect with you or feeling like something is off.

Sharing your story is a critical leadership skill. Paul Smith (2012) discusses the

importance of story in his book, Lead with a Story: A guide to Crafting Business

Narratives that Captivate, Convince and Inspire. He states that stories can be used to

accomplish five key elements: “inspire the organization, set a vision, teach important

lessons, define culture and values, and explain who you are and what you believe” (p.6)

Author M. Lllewyen (2018) believes "New metaphors are needed to help share an

understanding of schools as places where growing as a human being is of the utmost

value and teaching is a human encounter rooted in relationships marked by faith, trust,

care and love" (p. 154). We need to use story and metaphor to enhance the “human

encounter.”

Being vulnerable with your own story heightens connection. With my staff, I was

able to share stories of my child as they struggled in school. My staff all knew of my
 54
struggles as a son caring for my dying parents while leading a school during a pandemic.

When you share what exists in your “invisible backpack,” you allow those who are

burdened by the weight of their backpack to have less fear and shame associated with the

contents that weigh them down. It is important to acknowledge the work of Peggy

McIntosh (1989) who developed the concept of “invisible knapsack” to describe the

burden of traditionally marginalized populations. I am using the term, “invisible

backpack” to add components such as trauma or personal strife. Adding these

components should not minimize the challenges communities of color face that may be

different, or in addition to, the challenges we all carry in the use of this metaphor.

The Power of Empathy

When we start what might be in the invisible backpack and the burdens of others,

we start with concern. We meet people where they are rather than where we are trying to

bring them. Now I tend to focus more on how present I am. Do I slow down and hear the

emotions as well as the words of the person talking with me? I need to truly listen and

hear the voice of everyone who walks in the door of the schoolhouse–students, staff, and

parents.

Imagine you were the teacher who spent the last few nights with your own child

who is struggling with deep depression. You come in the next day and all you see are

reminders of your child’s sense of hopelessness. Imagine being a parent who lost their

job and you are not quite sure if you will make next month’s rent and the school is asking

you for donations. Imagine being a child who spent the night looking after your younger

sibling, and you couldn’t do any schoolwork.

 55
If we approached these situations in a traditional way and started conversations

with prompts such as: “I noticed your lesson plans didn’t address ...” to the teacher; or a

reminder of the parent “It’s so important to come to school on time” or the “schoolwork

is important- shape up” conversation with a student, we’re missing an opportunity to

connect, to understand and to serve our community from where they are.

Many of us start conversations with “how are you?” and then we quickly delve

into business without caring what the answer is. In his book, Chief Empathy Officer,

Thomas Hoerr (2022) cites, “Exceptional principals create an environment in which

everyone grows. They reach out and use empathy to understand and appreciate others’

feelings and perspectives. The COVID-19 epidemic of 2020-221 exacerbated the need for

a Chief Empathy Officer–a CEO principal. The pervasive angst, loneliness, and fears we

all experience made even greater calls for principles to lead through understanding

others” (p.3).

I remember the day after my family experienced a health crisis and a colleague

said, “Hey, Paul! How are you? Did you get that report in last night?” while he walked

away. I felt invisible. Like a cog in the machine. Imagine if he had asked that question,

and then paused and truly listened. Or if he had looked at my burdened facial expressions

and slumped body language to notice something might be amiss. That is what I try to do

now, to notice what is not being said, but what is being shown, and then respond in a

more caring, empathetic way. I know we each have burdens that are sometimes heavy

and sometimes lighter and often invisible to others.

Be Authentic
 56
To explore the notion of authenticity, we must explore the opposite. The opposite

of authenticity is driven by ego and ambition. It is transactional in nature. I believe early

in my career I was not as authentic as I should have been. I was driven by concepts of

what a leader should be. I was hired in multiple schools to “fix” issues that were there.

My ideas around this concept are rooted in perceived concepts of what a leader is—

strong, not personal, and authoritarian. These assumptions may have been gendered as

well. Working in an elementary school as one of the only male elementary teachers along

with societal pressures of being a male teacher may have contributed to my desire to

become a principal in the first place. I was misguided, and society is misguided, when it’s

honorable for women to teach elementary school and embarrassingly unambitious for

men.

In his work around “authentic leadership,” Paul Begley states it is, “a sincere type

of leadership and a hopeful, open, visionary and creative response to social situations.

The prerequisites for such authentic leadership in school principals are self-knowledge, a

capacity for moral reasoning, and sensitivity to others’ intentions (Begley, 2006, p. 570).”

We need a renewed focus on the people in the organization to collectively move forward

together. As Brene Brown says, “We desperately need more leaders who are committed

to courageous, wholehearted leadership and who are self-aware enough to lead from their

hearts, rather than unevolved leaders who lead from hurt and fear” (p.4)

The tragedies my family endured during the pandemic and the response of others

to these stressors help me become aware of how my leadership style may have caused

pain to others. I know I’ll make mistakes again, but if I lead from my heart, as Parker

Palmer says (2000) “Go past ego to your true self—bearing more gracefully the
 57
responsibilities that come with being human” (p.73). That’s just what I did when I started

focusing on true connection before moving towards collective actions.

Conclusion

I have realized that I, as an administrator, have agency in how I lead. I need to model

the importance of empathy, vulnerability, and authenticity to others, while also ensuring

how I make decisions, what the decisions are, and that the outcome of the decisions

reflect these values. My leadership style has shifted. My ego used to be at the center of

my work. Now my focus on understanding “who” and “how” we can reach our goals

together. Leading with a concerted effort to support all members of the organization to

see and understand each other's backpacks and help both themselves and others carry

their loads will help us heal. My leadership in this area is impacting the path my school

community collectively is creating and exploring. Leadership is more about caring deeply

for and about the people in our efforts. Knowing what is in those invisible backpacks

everyone carries and leading with vulnerability, empathy, and authenticity has sustained

me through these incredibly hard times. And my own family, our teachers, students and

families appreciate having a real person leading them, and not some person hiding behind

a mask of what leaders “should” be like. Once you are grounded, once you know who

you are, once you are clear on your primary goal you can authentically serve your

community. The hardest decision, the most conflict-ridden decision, becomes easier.

When the items in our backpacks are seen and acknowledged by other, sharing the

invisible weight gives me hope.

 58
References

Begley, P.T. (2006). "Self‐knowledge, capacity and sensitivity: Prerequisites to authentic

leadership by school principals.", Journal of Educational Administration, 44 (6),

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improvement. Russell Sage Foundation.

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Henderson, J. E., & Hoy, W. K. (1982). Principal authenticity, school climate, and pupil-

control orientation. Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 2, 123– 130.

Hoerr, T. (2022). Principal as chief empathy officer; creating a culture where everyone

grows. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD).

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Prothero, A. (2021). When toxic positivity seeps into schools, here’s what educators can

do. Education Week, 40(17), 10–12.

Ramberg, J., Låftman, S. B., Almquist, Y. B., & Modin, B. (2019). School effectiveness

and students’ perceptions of teacher caring: A multilevel study. Improving

 59
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Safir, S. (2017). The listening leader: Creating the conditions for equitable school

transformation. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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 60
Chapter Four: Scholarly Practitioner Paper 3

Paper 3: Sustainable Leadership During Turbulent Times

Working Title: Who are you, where are you going, and…. Why?

Author(s): Paul Marietta

Target Publication: Principal Magazine

Central Theme: How to find authentic self in the current work as a means to find

contentment and higher levels of job satisfaction.

Who Are You, Where Are You Going, and…. Why?

I remember walking through the halls of my first day as a teacher at a high school

in Wisconsin. I was 21 years old and just graduated from college. My role on this day

was a high school band teacher substitute. I got stopped in the hallway during my second

period “prep time” on my way to the teachers’ lounge by the hallway monitor and asked,

“Who are you? Where are you going? Why are you going there?” It is likely he thought I

was a student, but now twenty-five years later, I believe those questions are just as

important to ask myself as that very first day. Maybe these are the questions we each

should be asking, no matter our role or where we are in our career. These three questions

are similar to the questions posed by Leo Tolstoy (1885), translated (1928) and stated by

John Kelly (2017) where a king asks for guidance for the questions, “What was the right

time for every action, and who were the most necessary people, and how he might know

what was the most important thing to do” (p.99). When we are leading schools, crises

often spur us into action, and Tolstoy’s questions are helpful. However, when leading a

school, quiet contemplation and reflection on “Who are you? Where are you going? Why
 61
are you going there?” might ground you in the moment, helping you find contentment in

turbulent and chaotic times. Wild fires. Floods. Hurricanes. Political unrest. Or just a

timely and reflective exploration of one’s sense of purpose in life.

Who am I (are we)?

Starting with the question, “who am I” is critical at every stage of your career.

There is a growing body of research around the concept of “teacher professional

identity.” Jane Danielewicz (2001) defines identity as, “understanding of who we are and

who we think other people are” (p. 10). I have found over many years of coaching,

consulting, and evaluating teachers the strong link to teacher identity. Brad Olson (2010)

further unpacks the notion of teacher identity by stating, “who we are as teachers is

hitched to who we are as humans, which itself is hitched to our own lived experiences. As

a result, we need to consider teacher education, professional development, and the

personal-professional changes and needs of teachers as integrated and interconnected

parts of who we are and what we can become” (p.26).

When we better understand how our histories and personal experiences impact the

way we interact with each individual student, our sense of purpose increases, and

students feel our connection to them. We can build upon our strengths and draw upon

them when needed. We can know our vulnerabilities and mitigate them when they are

adversely impacting our efforts with students and colleagues. Who you are, individually,

helps you focus and hone your energy more deliberately with the students who are hoping

you’ll truly see them, and not just a number. For example, making sure a person is in the
 62
right position based on their virtuosities that can allow their strengths to flourish changes

the whole dynamic for a person, and in turn, his/her students.

Examining, who we are has the potential to heighten a sense of collective

efficacy. Following the work of Roger Goddard (2004) and Albert Bandura (2000),

Rachel Elles (2011) conducted a meta-analytic research study noting that a teacher’s

sense of collective efficacy, or sense or belief in the others within the school, “strongly

and positively associated with student achievement across subject areas and in multiple

locations" (p. 110). Teacher identity and teacher collective efficacy are directly related. A

teacher's identity plays a pivotal role in influencing their confidence and sense of

competence within the classroom. Teachers who are more secure in their personal

identities are more likely to collaborate, share insights, and work together for improved

student outcomes. This level of collaboration is one tool to heighten the collective

efficacy of the organization and build the collective identity of the school. The link

between teacher identity and teacher collective efficacy underscores the importance of

nurturing a strong, positive teacher identity as a foundation for fostering a culture of

collaboration, innovation, and efficacy in education. A leader’s work is to help both

individuals, and as a collective, spend time narrating and celebrating success. When

groups of people can develop and nurture positive identities together, powerful

commitment follows.

Who am I? I used to be the guy who couldn’t dare walk into work without the

authority credential: white shirt and tie. I used to be the guy who didn’t dare admit I

didn’t know the answer. Now I find myself listening to a concern, making sure I

understand it right, and then admitting, I don’t know what the solution is, but how about
 63
if I ask more people and get back to you. Or I first respond, “what do you think?” in a

sincere desire to hear their perspective before inserting my own. I used to make sure my

hallways were quiet and clean during passing time. Now I am more likely to find me

singing to my students, strumming my guitar with kids hopping, skipping, jumping as

they go to class.

Where am I(we) going?

I was a teacher for only four years when it was first suggested to me that I think

about the principalship. A few years later, at age 27, I was in my first assistant

principalship. Fast forward another ten years and I was serving as an assistant

superintendent of a large urban school district. I never paused to stop and think about

“where am I going?” To me it became a series of steps towards what I thought would be

an eventual superintendency. I went where others thought I should go.

In retrospect, I believe I may have been driven by ego and ambition and what has

been historically expected of a man in education. Perhaps there are rooted subconscious

insecurities about “what I am supposed to do.” Maybe a bit delusional angst around the

financial benefits of pursuing positions and the role a man should take in the educational

system. The truth of it all, I found myself moving into positions of what I perceived as

less and less relevant and further away from my initial purpose. I know that not all men

move into leadership because it’s expected of them, rather it’s their mission. Quoting

from Tyack (1974), Joanna Chatlos referenced this phenomenon in her dissertation

(2018) referring to the original framework of the American public school system as a

“pedagogical harem,” in which cisgender male administrators typically managed a

 64
cisgender female faculty (p. 45). As an increasing number of women became teachers at

the turn of the 20th century, men’s ability to validate their masculinity in the role of

teacher diminished, with administration becoming a more viable option with regard to

status, authority, and income (Blount, 1999). But for me, the less day-to-day contact I had

with students, the more disconnected I was to my work. It became a job rather than a

career.

I had the opportunity to work with many exemplary teachers over my career. I

remember vividly asking a teacher who was truly exceptional if he considered leadership

to help spread his practices further. In that conversation, I believe I said something along

the lines of “more than you can do as ‘just a teacher’.” During that part of the

conversation, he paused and you could see a shift in his affect. He stated, appropriately,

that he felt the greatest impact and connection with his core values even though he was

“just a teacher.” I have never felt more disappointed in myself when I said “just.” For

me to diminish his professional and personal identity was reprehensible. His identity as a

teacher, and his work with students is cause for celebration.

Why am I (are we) going there?

It is likely we have all been in a situation where we knew internally, we were not

in the right position or with the right organization. I was asked to serve as a consultant as

part of a “restructuring” plan during the NCLB era where schools who were deemed

“chronically underperforming” had to select from a list of interventions. Working with a

nationally recognized consulting firm was one of the options schools could choose.
 65
The school I was to consult was located on the Navajo reservation in Arizona. As

a white man from Minnesota, there were so many things wrong with this assignment. I

flew in once a month and spent one day with the staff going through research from my

organization on key practices that according to a broad meta-analysis “works.” I was in

my eighth visit where I was sharing more about the virtues of data-driven decision

making when a teacher came up to me and stated, “You have shared a lot about the

research and ideas for what we can do better. I am curious, in your time here, what have

you learned about the Navajo?” It was a true epiphany moment for me. I could not

answer his question because I believed my role was to share the research as

“transferrable” and frankly, “indisputable.” The truth was, I was a charlatan. I said what I

thought was needed, then I turned around and flew back to my home, not truly knowing

the people I was there to serve and not trusting that they had expertise in what solutions

would work in their community. I got into education mostly for the deep relationships I

could make with the community, yet, here I was talking to the participants and imposing

a colonial perspective on indigenous peoples, rather than working with them. I believed I

had little agency in redesigning the format of the professional development or the

delivery of the packaged format. What I failed to recognize was the even a sliver of

contextual understanding would have benefited the collective learning. Citing, Joseph

Spring, Cornel Pewewardy (2001) notes, “The Indigenous peoples of what is now the

United States have long been subjects of a complex history of colonization, attempted

genocide, and deculturalization through education (p.101). If I were able to do it all

again, and what has influenced me moving forward, is to always remember the context
 66
and the people you are there to serve and to serve in the way, time, and pace they need

you to serve.

At the end of this contract, I decided my work, and my potential for positive

impact, was at the schoolhouse where I felt I could truly make lasting meaningful

relationships and change. Staying with an organization that is misaligned with your sense

of purpose may be the right path. However, leaving the organization when there is a

mismatch might be the right path. Both actions take courage. But your sense of purpose

will guide you in your decision.

Measuring impact

I was asked recently about data informed decision making. I was once a disciple

of the summative data-driven decision-making movement, I found myself reflecting back

on the events of that particular day. On that day, I helped a crying child focus on soothing

strategies to help them identify emotions and re-regulate to enjoy the rest of their day. I

observed a teacher who was struggling with getting the children on task, hoping to coach

her to improve. I assured a parent that we could support their child as she shared about

her tumultuous home environment.

What I realized, was we need to ensure every student can read and compute, but

perhaps the pathway to academic success has its foundation in the student’s sense of

belonging and well-being in school. Citing Maurice Elias (1997), Durlak, Dymnicki, et.

al (2011) point out, “Emotions can facilitate or impede children’s academic engagement,

work ethic, commitment, and ultimate school success” (p.405). What if we focused on

these items? How many smiles did we see today? How confident did our students feel
 67
that they have the tools to solve a conflict on their own? We are in the education

business, and so it’s appropriate to note data such as “last quarter we saw a reduction of

student referrals by __%,” or, “we saw reading gains by __%, but we should not stop

there. Did students’ sense of safety increase? Did bullying decrease? Did their

engagement in risky behaviors decrease? Did their sense of belonging and trust in adults

increase?

We do not have to choose between being data driven or attending to the social and

emotional needs of your community. A well-designed organizational system is one that

takes both personal core values with the organizational values into consideration to help

define common efforts. Within the “invisible backpack” are a set of values. When the

values guiding the culture of the organization cannot help support the weight of this

backpack, exhaustion ensues.

Now as I sit back and reflect both on the past, present, and anticipated future, I am

clearer than ever of the three core questions posed to me on that very first year. Who I

am: I am striving to be an authentic leader who builds strong relationships with all

members of my school community. Where am I going: serving in the school is the right

place to enact my efforts. Why: I know I am making an impact through continually being

attuned to both anecdotal and data driven metrics that include perceptual feedback. Today

I am content. I feel I am having a positive impact. I will keep asking myself these critical

questions to make sure I never again am simply going where others point me to go.
 68
References

Chatlos, J. E. (2018). A male elementary school principal's experience of gender and

leadership (Order No. 10813114). Available from ProQuest Dissertations &

Theses Global. (2107833793).

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theses/male-elementary-school-principals-experience/docview/2107833793/se-2

Cross, T. L., Pewewardy, C., & Smith, A. T. (2019). Restorative education,

reconciliation, and healing: Indigenous perspectives on decolonizing leadership

education. New Directions for Student Leadership, 2019(163), 101–115.

https://doi.org/10.1002/yd.20350

Durlak, J.A., Dymnicki, A., Taylor, R., Weissberg, R. & Schellinger, K., (2011). The

impact of enhancing students’ social and emotional learning: A meta-analysis of

school-based universal interventions. Child Development 82(1) 82, 405–432.

http://www.jstor.org/stable/29782838.

Kahneman, D., (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Kelly, I. J. D. (2017). The resilient physician: A pocket guide to stress management.

Springer International Publishing AG.

Marshall, G. (2021). The role of teacher identity in teacher self-efficacy development:

The case of Katie. Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 25(6), 725–747.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10857-021-09515-2

Olsen, Brad. (2010). Teaching for success: Developing your teacher identity in today's

classroom. Taylor & Francis Group. ProQuest Ebook Central,

http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/psu/detail.action?docID=3384584.
 69
Su-Keene, E., & DeMatthews , D., (2022). “Savoring” the joy: Reducing principal

burnout and improving well-being through positive psychology interventions. The

Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 95(5),

210-219. DOI: 10.1080/00098655.2022.2097623

Tolstoy L. (1928). The works of Tolstoi. Black’s Readers Service Company.

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Chapter Five: Conclusion and Scholarly Practitioner Paper 4

Paper 4: Sustaining the Spirit as a Social Justice School Leader

Author(s): Paul Marietta

Target Publication: Ed Week

Central Themes: Educator burnout is happening at an alarming rate. This concluding

chapter will explore key strategies principals and leaders can take to help stop the mass

exodus, specifically, how we can internalize and systematize the notions of “self-care”

and be fully present on behalf of the important work of education. In my earlier articles

for submission, I focused on three core elements. First, engaging in scholarly work that is

meaningful. The second, how to acknowledge and allow space for the struggles in life to

help create space for relationships that will ultimately heighten collaboration. Lastly, how

to explore contentment in your efforts. In this final chapter, I hope to bring these themes

together and link the concepts to alleviating the flight of leaders and staff in schools from

education.

Sustaining the Spirit as a Social Justice School Leader

We Are Exhausted

Too often in schools we celebrate the wrong thing. Take for example a recent

dialogue at a principal meeting. Together I was at a table with five principals from my

district. With a relatively benign start of connection with the prompt, “how are you

doing?” One principal began to talk about how “busy” they were–sharing how long they

feel they are working citing specifics of working until 10:00 last night and missing their

kid’s basketball game. The other principals in this case started sharing their busy
 71
schedules as well. Perhaps the intention in this line of dialogue was to build camaraderie

around this common theme. Inadvertently this leads to a “rat race” culture where we are

valuing and celebrating overworking ourselves-and normalizing ignoring our own

families and our own children’s needs.

What we know is educators are leaving the profession in droves. According to data

from the Ed Week Research Center (2022):

• 44% of public-school teachers report they plan to leave in the next two years

(compared to 29% in 2010) (EdWeek Research Center (Ed.) (2022)

• 72% of public schools report more teachers are taking time off (IES Institute of

Education Sciences (Ed.). (2022, August 4).

• 61% of schools report fewer available substitutes to cover classrooms when

teachers are absent (EdWeek Research Center (Ed.). (2022).

• 12% of teachers report they are very satisfied with their job (Compared to 62% in

2008) (EdWeek Research Center (Ed.). (2022).

The principal exodus is similar to the teacher exodus. The high rates of principal question

and attrition have significant impacts on teacher longevity and ultimately student

outcomes. Nearly 50% of principals who completed a National Association of Secondary

School Principals (NASSP) survey indicated “their stress level is so high, they are

considering a career change or retirement” (US News and World, 2022). NASSP

president Gregg Wieczorek responded to this crisis by noting the following:

The principal pipeline is becoming increasingly fractured at all levels, in every region of

the country and in all school types. Recruiting and retaining school leaders will become
 72
even more difficult, if more is not done to support educators in our schools (Wieczorek,

2021).

Marie-Nathalie Beudoin and Maureen Taylor (2004) note, “Pressures have the

effect of rendering a principal’s life highly stressful, [that] can create a sense of

inadequacy in the face of unrealistic demands, can be isolating, and may lead to burnout”

(p.12).

We need to shift this paradigm.

We need to celebrate balance.

It is not to say that we need to “quiet-quit” or take a more passive aggressive

approach to our profession. As principals, we can set the tone of the building. I once

heard another principal say, “the principal controls the weather in the school.” They were

inferring that we do in fact have control over the mood of a building. In this way we can

either model how to engage in self-care strategies, or we overwork ourselves while the

teachers infer that as the expectation for all.

We have more agency in the tone we set as leaders then we know. We need to

create conditions where we model taking care of ourselves to help others not get caught

in the traps of “commiseration collaboration.” The onus for “self-care” cannot fully be

placed on the individual. Organizations must create a culture where it is acceptable and

expected to focus on your own mental health. Leaders must have robust tools to support

the well-being of the entire system. This includes strategies to take care of themselves.

Self-care is a term that is widely used to support the notion that you must “take

care of yourself.” The old adage, you first must put on your own oxygen mask before you

can help others” is somewhat trite, but pertinent. In a recent article Rice and Williams
 73
(2022) point out, “Principals who engage in self-care strategies may be able to enhance

their work success by improving their ability to care for themselves physically,

psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually” (p. 568) Self-care can best be defined by

Tygielski (2022), who states that self-care “means doing what is good for us—increasing

our emotional and physical stamina, improving our self-esteem, and building resilience.

Maintaining good self-care ensures that we stay compassionate, impassioned, and

engaged ((paragraph 6).

Citing research from MacNiel, Townsley, et al. (2021) note, “School

administrators' health-related behaviors can affect the entire culture of a school” (p.858).

Further, the teachers surveyed regarding the health of their school’s report, “school

administrators' characteristics, such as their ability to tolerate stress and develop and

maintain goals, had a significant effect on school culture and student achievement”

(p.858). How we model and engage in well-being and self-care will determine both the

sustainability of ourselves, and those you serve.

Recommendations

Develop Deep Relationships First

In the school in which I work, we have developed a system of “wellness

partners.” The role of the wellness partner is to check in on the well-being of each other.

We begin most meetings with their wellness partner taking a walk around our school

grounds. The topics can go where ever they need them to go. Sometimes a prompt is

provided, other times the partners just have a connection point. Last week, we used the

prompt, “what are your headwinds and tailwinds” in life right now? Staff had an
 74
opportunity to share their struggles and the things that keep them moving forward. I

shared my own with the staff as an example so they could bear witness that I was not

asking them to do something I was unwilling to do myself. My headwinds at the time

were the grief process with my parents, and my tailwind was a recent visit with a friend.

Others were then able to share their concerns more freely with their partner and the whole

group as needed. One staff member noted their family in the Middle East and the toll it is

taking on her not knowing what is happening with loved ones half way across the globe.

Though this process, we normalized the notion that we all have struggle in our

lives. This process opens the door to see each other as humans full of complex emotions

and struggles instead of just colleagues. Too often in schools, and in life, we are

dehumanizing each other. This is never more evident than the struggles facing the world

in war torn countries. In an article about the relationship between Israel and Palestine,

author Patricia Moynah (2017) states, “violence cannot generate power, only destroy it.

This understanding of power as creative is defined by building relations, not tearing them

apart” (p.296).

Empathy is a precursor of relationships and a critical element of the humanizing

efforts. For empathy to take place, the individual must have the intention of having a

significant ongoing relationship with the other person. When speaking about the

challenges in the Middle East, Moynagh (2017) further states, “If they are raised to deny

the humanity of others, then it becomes more arduous to connect them later” (p.300).

Further, Moynagh states, “Schools need to be a place where we heal from the past and

nurture a healthy future (p.100).

 75
In an article for business leaders, Somos (2014) noted, “Ultimately, humanizing

employees’ lived experiences in the workplace and creating a sense of connection is

about building a community where people feel more energized and motivated to do their

best work. As a result, improving the employee experience will pay big dividends to your

organization (p.13). Citing research from Amabile, Schatzel, Moneta, & Kramer (2004)

and Mayfield (2011), Nock, et al. (2018) note, “Empathetic leadership should increase a

follower’s attempts at innovation because the follower feels safer in taking risks and has

less stress—two major factors in someone’s creativity and innovation” (p.220). Our role

is to develop relationships through the humanizing of each other. Always. Especially

when it is the most conflict-ridden situation or the hardest.

Focus on What Nourishes You

Achieving holistic wellness as a school principal can prove to be quite difficult

given the high level of leadership responsibilities and stress factors leaders may endure.

Therefore, it is essential that principals engage in self-care strategies as an effort to better

tend to their emotional, physical, social, and mental well-being, thus helping to improve

their ability to successfully lead their school community.

For me, I feel most grounded when I am in nature. The work leading schools can

be challenging, and we need to be able to have interpersonal and intrapersonal methods to

sustain ourselves during this effort. In her research around executive functions (EF),

Adele Diamond (20214) asserts:

Executive functions are critical for success in school, on the job, and in life. EFs

suffer if you are lonely, sad, stressed, or not physically fit. Therefore, if we care
 76
about academic outcomes, we should care that student [and staff] feel they are in

a supportive community they can count on, that they are happy (even joyful), and

that their bodies are strong and healthy (p. 205).

Diamond asserts that when we do not focus on our “spirit,” our executive functions

impede on our ability to effectively work. Diamon further declares:

Nowhere is the importance of social, emotional, and physical health for cognitive

health more evident than with EFs, and nowhere is the importance of social,

emotional, and physical health for brain health more evident than with prefrontal

cortex. Prefrontal cortex and EFs are the first to suffer, and suffer

disproportionately, if you are lonely, sad, stressed, or not physically fit. (p.214).

In order to tend to our executive functions and the need of our prefrontal cortex, we need

to have opportunity to engage in true self care to find joy and solace, and ultimately

productivity.

Implications for Practice

Implications for practice vary based on the various roles in K-12 educational

systems. Much of this dissertation, and specifically this chapter, has been focused on

leadership, and specifically the role of the principal. However, others have a role to play.

Below are some potential ramifications and suggestions for other positions.

University Preparation Programs

University preparation programs need their coursework, whether it be in

undergraduate or graduate study, to focus on leadership dispositions and actions that will
 77
translate to success in schools. This should include skill development in emotional

intelligence and how to manage stress as much as theories of leadership. In addition, they

must model how to create a community of learners and focus more on the job-embedded

professional development rather than on technical writing.

Teachers and leaders need to have a community to construct knowledge together

and develop deep, lasting relationships. Teacher and principal training programs have a

responsibility to create what authors Lambert and Felton (2020) call “relationship rich”

environments: “All students learn best in an environment characterized by high

expectation and high support, and all faculty and staff can learn to teach and work in

ways that enable relationship-based education” (p.98).

Goldman (2016) defines emotional intelligence as, “the ability to mobilize

oneself, to control impulses, to regulate mood, not to let troubles interfere with thinking,

to put oneself in someone else’s shoes, and to hope” (p.3). Citing the work of Wisinger

(1998) and Danilov and Mihailova (2020), researchers Semih Çayak and Menekşe Eskici

(2021) note

Emotional intelligence has a special place in schools as educational organizations, as in

other organizations. Because school principals, who know themselves well and can direct

their emotions, give more positive reactions to the behaviors of teachers and students.

They know what they feel and what emotions they experience, and they can direct the

emotions and thoughts of school members in this direction in order to create a better

school environment (p.1).

Finally, as noted a previous chapter of this dissertation, university preparation

programs need to focus on supporting practitioners rather than solely preparing

 78
academics in higher education. Most educators will never pursue a doctoral degree or

become academics. . In her work in “Decentering the Ivory Tower of Academia,” (2013),

Ramdeholl draws attention to the fact that, “For some time universities have been

regarded as the legitimate holders of knowledge, and that academic knowledge is, by

definition, removed from the ‘real world’” (p.5). Practitioners want to apply knowledge

to practice.

In her research around the discrepancy of educators attaining a Master’s Degree

and not a Doctoral, or terminal degree, Burton (2020), citing previous research from

Pilbeam, Lloyd-Jones, & Denyer, (2013) found primary reasons educators seek higher

education were, “collegial discussions that occur in educational doctoral programs

increase the likelihood that educators will find value in their programs when given

opportunities for collaboration through peer support with like-minded individuals” (p.83).

Higher education programs can support sustainability efforts by focusing on real world

challenges in meaningful ways.

Teacher in a School Setting

Teachers have the tremendous burden and opportunity to work directly with our

youngest, most impressionable citizens. How they go about creating community,

supporting the students in learning life and academic skills. My researcher positionality

and vantage point throughout this practitioner-focused dissertation has been primarily

focused on leadership and my role as a principal. It is important to consider that many of

the skills and suggestions may likely apply to other positions in education. Conners
 79
(2013) once said, "The best teacher is the one who never forgets what it is like to be a

student" (p.1).

Teachers can create environments where students can be truly seen and the things

that are in their “backpack” that weigh them down be understood and processed in safe

space. Citing the work of Poplin and Weeres (1993), Beth Bernstein-Yamashiro and Gial

Noam (2013) assert, “that the relationships students desire are ‘authentic’ ones, wherein

they are “trusted, given responsibility, spoken to honestly and warmly, and treated with

dignity and respect” (p.19). There are numerous clear links between positive student to

teacher relationship and academic outcomes. Valerie Lee and Susanna Loeb (2000) found

that social support from teachers is strongly related to one-year gains in both reading and

math in Chicago schools. Just as leaders need to develop relationships with the teachers,

teachers must develop authentic relationships with students.

Yet there is also a struggle that emerges through the work of creating a space

where a child’s psychological well-being is the focus within school settings. Benham

(1995), citing the work of Barry Farber (1983) explains: “The constant emotional stress

of human service work leads to burnout, a condition in which workers lose all concern,

all emotional feeling, for the persons they work with and come to treat them in detached

or even dehumanized ways” (p.5). Thomas Kkovholt and Michell Traotter-Mathison

(2016) note, “To be successful in the helping professions, we must continually maintain

professional vitality and avoid depleted caring” (p.5). Teachers and their leaders must

avoid burnout and both engage in, and model self-care strategies to sustain the effort.

Central Office Administrators

 80
Just as principals have the opportunity to influence the climate of a building,

central office staff, including the superintendent, have power to influence the tone and

tenor of the district. One of the challenges for central office staff, observed after serving

as an assistant superintendent myself, is that they are no longer the end user of key

innovations. By this, I mean that they are often limited in time to be in the school

required to supporting initiatives. This may lead to the potential to push innovations that

may or may not match the unique needs of the building. In addition, there is the potential

for multiple people and departments all attempting to push forward their innovations

simultaneously without coordination to the school site. Killion and Harrison (2016) note

this phenomenon stating, “Multiple competing initiatives that work in isolation rather

than in a coordinated way create strain on resources and cause a lack of focus and

purpose” (p.46). The potential of innovation fatigue can be felt at the school site.

Behavior and organizational theorists Chung, et. al state, (2017), “Employees may

experience personal exhaustion when dealing with innovation if they must implement

numerous innovations over a prolonged period of time” (p.1136).

Research by Honig (2012) resulted in the identification of five practices when

reviewing high-functioning central office leadership: (a) joint work, (b) modeling, (c)

tools, (d) acting as a broker, and (e) creating and sustaining social engagement (p.746) Of

the five, modeling and social engagement are the most pertinent. Modeling, was

described as demonstrating the very practices desired within their own work as central

office leaders has the potential to heighten awareness and efficacy of the innovations.

And social engagement, characterized by central office members engaging with staff,
 81
through conversations for example to help them make sense of new information or tools,

and to assist with aspects of implementation.

All told, central office staff must invest in developing real authentic relationships

with principals and teachers. They need to be considerate of how the initiatives are put

forward, where initiatives may compete for attention from initiatives in various

departments, and in support of the specific needs of the school community. Ultimately,

all this can only be done if relationships are established to heighten awareness and

continuous support in a reciprocal relationship.

Conclusion

Throughout this multi-paper dissertation, I explored mechanisms to support

principal (and teacher) retention. The first is how to engage in meaningful learning to

deepen skills through doctoral coursework, namely, becoming a practitioner scholar and

choosing topics, formats, and writing that can be beneficial for yourself and others.

Secondly, I chose to unpack how empathy and understanding has the potential to provide

a fertile space for yourself and staff to deepen relationship and ultimately increase

efficiency and effectiveness—especially through challenging times. The third exploration

was around finding meaning in your position to lead to thriving in your role in education.

These explorations provide a resource to practicing leaders on navigating the

challenges of the principal position, and other leadership roles, with the intention of

heightening effectiveness in a sustainable way. For us to turn the tide on the exodus in

education, we must nourish our human spirit. Author, M. Llewellyn (2018) notes, "The

spiritual offers a language, a way of knowing and a way of being to draw on in imagining
 82
schools as places where education is for life and for the enhancement of one's life

journey...that helps express a way of being in the world and to share the transformative

possibilities of being and learning together" (p. 153). There needs to be a sense of

urgency in this effort. The exodus of educators leaving the field and the lack of

candidates entering the field is reaching a critical threshold that will adversely impact our

country’s ability to meet our highest ideals.

Teachers and leaders are leaving the profession at alarming rates. Through this

scholarly review of literature and writing a practitioner-focused dissertation with multiple

publishable papers, I am confident that it will adhere to the ideals put forward by Portland

State University to, “expand the capacity of formal and informal educational leaders for

providing leadership that makes a positive and significant difference in the lives of the

members of the communities and professional fields they serve” (PSU, 2023).

Education is challenging and rewarding work. For us as leaders to thrive, and for

our teachers and communities to thrive, the core concepts in this dissertation provide

ideas to sustain ourselves and others as we teach and lead during turbulent times.
 83
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