School Leadership Challenges in Faroese Compulsory Schools During the COVID-19 Crisis / Avbjóðingar hjá skúlaleiðslum í føroyskum fólkaskúlum undir COVID-19 kreppuni

Abstract

Abstract
This qualitative study was conducted to explore the impact of COVID-19 on Faroese school leadership with a view to identifying challenges faced by leaders and assessing the efficacy of their crisis leadership in enabling a positive learning-teaching environment. The findings indicated that the challenges comprised teacher self-efficacy issues in teacher ability to adopt Information Communication Technology (ICT) to fulfil student learning outcomes, ensuring student participation and safe learning environments, teacher and leader emotional/psychological burdens and hygiene logistics. Faroese crisis leadership exhibited proactive support for teachers, helped with online teaching, offered channels of open, meaningful communication, supported teachers through active listening, accepted teacher feedback, and showed an inclusive approach to managing teaching. School leaders appeared to have stepped up to the challenge despite the crisis testing the resilience of staff, students and themselves. They reflected on what COVID-19 has taught them and have grasped the significance of the human element in crisis management. The Faroese school system may require an established framework from the National Board of Education to cope with future crisis to ensure a responsive instead of a reactive approach to maintaining core competences of schools in a challenging environment.

Úrtak

Henda kvalitativa kanningin varð gjørd  fyri at kanna ávirkanina av COVID-19 á føroyskar skúlaleiðslur við at eyðmerkja avbjóðingar hjá leiðarunum og meta um nýtsluna av leiðslu-hættum undir kreppu til at skapa eitt fremjandi undirvísingar- og læruumhvørvi. Kanningar-úrslitini vístu, at avbjóðingarnar fevndu um  trupulleikar  hjá  lærarum  at  tillaga  seg  til tey kunningartøkniligu amboðini fyri at røkka læruúrtøkunum hjá næmingunum, at tryggja luttøku í undirvísingini og  at  skapa  eitt trygt læruumhvørvi, umframt at røkta kensluligar ella sálarligar avbjóðingar millum lærarar og leiðarar. Føroysk kreppuleiðsla sýndi framfúsan stuðul til lærarar, veitti hjálp við fjarundirvísing, gav møguleika fyri opnum samskifti, stuðlaði lærarum við at lurta aktivt, tóku ímóti afturmeldingum frá lærarum og nýtti eina inkluderandi tilgongd við handfaringina av lærarum. Skúlaleiðarar tóktust at hava tak á støðuni hóast kreppan avbjóðaði mót- støðuførinum hjá starvsfólkum, næmingum, lærarum og teimum sjálvum. Teir hugleiddu um, hvat COVID-19 hevði lært teir, og skiltu týdningin av tí menniskjaliga partinum í kreppuleiðslu. Fyri at kunna standa ímóti framtíðar kreppum kann tann føroyska skúlaskipanin hava tørv á føstum kørmum frá Undirvísingarstýrinum fyri at tryggja eina skipaða, heldur enn reaktiva, tilgongd til at røkja kjarnuførleikarnar hjá skúlum í einum avbjóðandi umhvørvi.