Six questions that instructional supervisors have been faced with and had to respond to during the COVID-19 crisis include: (a) How do we support teachers in the transition from face-to-face to virtual classes and meetings; (b) How do we focus on addressing the needs of teachers while engaged in remote or online learning; (c) How do we maintain communication, contact, and relationships with teachers; (d) How do we celebrate successes as teachers work with students in the virtual world; (e) How do we assess the quality of the teaching–learning process; and (f) How do we plan for the next steps? Within the scholar–practitioner theoretical model, this study narrates how two principals in Texas addressed each of these six questions. The case studies presented could be used as historical accounts, meaning that leaders could learn from their successes and their mistakes as they move to the next phase of reopening schools.

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Kinesiology is one of the fastest growing and expanding majors regarding student enrollment. As a result, Kinesiology academic units are having to implement organizational changes. This study describes the steps taken during a Kinesiology department-to-school academic unit transformation at a mid-sized public university located in Southwest United States. Qualitative research methodology included a walking interview with the change agent, an Associate Dean and Professor of Kinesiology. After transcribing the interview verbatim and conducting data analysis deductive coding,we found that the efforts made during the change process followed John Kotter"s Eight Stage Process for Change model. It is important to note that the change agent was unaware of the Kotter"s change management model prior to the current study. Therefore, this study is particularly important because it not only contributes to existing literature on Kotter"s model, but also reveals that Kotter"s change management process was in fact intuitive. This article concludes with a call for future research on the intuitiveness of Kotter"s change process and encourages Kinesiology leaders and change agents to look to change management models for theoretical and practical guidance.

Improvement initiatives crafted based on well-understood problems of practice often stand the greatest chance of leading to sustainable educational improvements. Framing problems of practice using multiple modes of evidence is advisable to fully understand the system of root causes of the problem and its stakeholders. In this study, we used the document analysis method to investigate the types of evidence (e.g., literature, anecdotal, secondary data) that students used to frame problems of practice in EdD dissertations in practice within CPED consortium member institutions (N=53). Results suggest that students predominantly use literature to frame problems of practice with fewer using primary and secondary data. 

As members of the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED), universities across the United States are restructuring EdD programs to better prepare professional practitioners with the practical skills and theoretical knowledge needed to improve the educational environments that they serve. The hallmark of these programs is often the dissertation in practice, a scholarly investigation within which students define a problem of practice and then systematically test solutions to that problem. In this study, we investigate the experiences of university faculty participating in the redesign of an Educational Leadership EdD program who approach the redesign as a problem of practice. Root causes of identified program issues are presented in addition to the changes implemented in the redesigned program to improve upon the problem of practice.

Student retention has not changed in almost 40 years despite the plethora of attention. Maybe it is time to look at it differently. The study examines the relationships of parental education level, educational aspirations, and engagement. The National Survey of Student Engagement data were used in the analyses, but it raised questions about the nature of engagement. Results showed a shift from traditional thinking. Parental education levels, student aspirations, and engagement are not necessarily linked. Implications suggest that with each new generation, there are a different set engagement values. Future research should examine how engagement is conceptualized and its relationship to retention.

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