Term

Summer 2025

Capstone

Dissertation

Degree Name

EdD

Primary Advisor/Dissertation Chair

Trish Harvey

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted education systems globally, nationally and in Minnesota. This created difficulties but also opportunities for innovation, especially for students most impacted by educational inequities. This dissertation investigates the impacts of the pandemic through three related research questions: (1) In what ways did COVID-19 impact Minnesota’s achievement gap? (2) How do superintendents describe the impact of COVID-19 on their districts and their districts’ disparities? And (3) What have been some of the most innovative opportunities districts’ have explored to recoup learning loss emerging from the COVID-19 crisis?

Using a qualitative research design that is grounded in a transformative worldview, this study used surveys and interviews to surface the voices of superintendents who led through the pandemic. The findings reveal that the COVID-19 pandemic made the job of a superintendent arduous by creating new problems and exacerbating existing ones, while also providing ample opportunities for leadership, strategy and results. The study spotlights the need for districts to focus on mental health supports, the uncertainty of educational funding and learning loss and instruction, while also illuminating the leadership perspectives of those on the front lines of systemic change in education.

Keywords

Leadership, Superintendents, COVID-19, Pandemic, Educational Equity, Funding

dc_type

text

dc_publisher

DigitalCommons@Hamline

dc_format

application/pdf

dc_source

School of Education Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

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