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Most principals perceived a negative impact on teachers ’ mental health .
Report on principals ’ pandemic experience provides critical insights .
By Wade Zaglas
A new report by Pivot Professional Learning and supported by the Coalition of Australian Principals found that the pandemic has had a mix of positive and negative effects on the education sector .
The report , titled ‘ Principal perspectives on the impact of COVID-19 : Pathways toward equity in Australian schools ’ was based on survey findings of 456 principals across the government , Catholic and independent sectors , and also covered the entire spectrum of the Index of Community SocioEducational Advantage ( ICSEA ). The survey was conducted in October last year .
SOCIOECONOMIC DISPARITIES IN LEARNING Principals reported that the extent to which schools were able to successfully transition to remote learning during the pandemic was largely contingent on their school ’ s level of advantage or disadvantage .
For instance , in schools with an ICSEA score above 1000 , 65.6 per cent of principals reported a successful transition ; this contrasts with 36.1 per cent of principals employed at lower-ICSEA schools .
In addition , “ principals of lower-ICSEA schools were significantly more likely to report insufficient technology access ,” the report said , adding “ this finding held true for every type of technology , such as devices and internet access ”.
The pandemic also had a mixed effect on student learning with more principals
from lower-ICSEA schools reporting a negative impact on student learning than principals from more advantaged schools ( 52.3 per cent vs 29.6 per cent ).
Also , “ most principals estimated students had learned 51-90 per cent of the curriculum in the past six months , but those at higher-ICSEA schools were twice as likely to report students had learned 91-100 per cent of the curriculum .” Consequently , many principals at lower- ICSEA schools planned to address “ learning loss ” this year .
IMPACTS ON TEACHER AND STUDENT WELLBEING A majority of principals ( 65.7 per cent ) surveyed reported improvements in teachers ’ professional practice , as well as improved relationships with their students and school leaders .
However , “ most principals perceived a negative impact on teachers ’ mental health ( 81.2 per cent ) and social-emotional health ( 76.5 per cent ). This mirrored findings from educators who responded to Pivot ’ s national survey in April 2020 .”
Importantly , the overwhelming majority of principals ( 79.5 per cent ) reported that the COVID-19 pandemic had had a negative impact on students ’ mental health , although the concerns about students ’ wellbeing and mental health differed according to the school context .
“ Higher-ICSEA school principals were most concerned about students ’ social isolation , while those at lower-ICSEA schools were more worried about lack of routine and access to technology ,” the report concluded .
“ Principals who work ( ed ) in schools with higher proportions of students with disabilities were more likely to have increased their advocacy during the pandemic .
“ The need for this was largely due to the shift to remote learning being accompanied by reductions in key supports and normal service provision for students with disabilities across all educational sectors .”
IMPACTS ON PRINCIPALS ’ LEADERSHIP PRACTICES The importance of resilient and effective school leaders during the pandemic was also revealed in the survey findings . As the report states , “ the pandemic has forced principals to work harder , use existing resources in new ways and hone important skills ”.
One of the most surprising findings was that , although principals reported an increase in workloads , a corresponding decline in job satisfaction was not evident .
“ Of those who responded to the survey , a staggering 97.2 per cent reported that their workloads had increased as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic ,” the report said .
“ Yet only 30.3 per cent reported a decrease in job satisfaction , and 16.6 per cent said their job satisfaction had actually increased .”
The report concluded that communication and crisis-management skills were critical for principals during the pandemic , and that nearly all principals ( 91.3 per cent ) turned to a trusted colleague for professional support and advice .
Pivot Professional Learning CEO , Amanda Bickerstaff , said : “ This is a landmark study that brings together the experiences and priorities for principals from every sector and context in Australia . Now more than ever we must prioritise listening to our school leaders . We need to ensure our schools are future-proofed and able to support an equitable education for all students .” ■ educationreview . com . au | 13