Before the COVID-19 crisis occurred, the research group formed by Dr Mireia Tintoré in the UIC Barcelona Faculty of Education Sciences, and experts from the Complutense University of Madrid and UNED, were working on a project entitled "Programa de liderazgo para un desarrollo integral del niño en contextos desfavorecidos- WCDL” (Leadership programme for comprehensive child development in disadvantaged contexts-WCDL) There were so many changes to teaching caused by the healthcare crisis that the researchers decided to document and describe how eight management teams in vulnerable schools faced the COVID-19 crisis, focusing their attention on the first few months of lockdown.

The start of the pandemic had a major impact on schools, forcing head teachers to adapt to the new situation immediately. Therefore, we consider it important in our research to describe the actions carried out by the management teams in eight schools and compare them with the process in times of crisis described so far by academics,” explained Dr Tintoré, Head of the Working Group on the Organisation of Educational Institutions and Professionalisation in the Faculty.

Entitled Educational leadership in vulnerable contexts. Principals in the age of COVID-19 among its conclusions the article highlights the need to improve the use of technology in teaching, as well as a need to increase empathy among management teams. “In this way, directors, teachers and future teachers will be able to improve their technical, personal and socio-emotional skills to meet new needs,” said the researchers.

The article was recently published in the Academia Letters journal and also presented at the European World Educational Leadership Symposium and Network.