Katina Pollock
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View article: School Principals’ Work Intensification and Resilience: A Call for Structural Change
School Principals’ Work Intensification and Resilience: A Call for Structural Change Open
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, principals have taken on increased responsibilities. Principals who are thriving are praised for their resilience while those who are struggling are inundated with calls to build their resilience. In this …
View article: School principals’ emotionally draining situations and student discipline issues in the context of work intensification
School principals’ emotionally draining situations and student discipline issues in the context of work intensification Open
Over the past decade, research into principals’ work intensification has revealed that principals spend significant work hours on student discipline and attendance issues, and that they report high levels of emotionally draining situations…
View article: “I am here for the students”: principals’ perception of accountability amid work intensification
“I am here for the students”: principals’ perception of accountability amid work intensification Open
Increasing job duties and responsibilities associated with the changing role of school principals have prompted even greater accountability. As a result, principals are faced with competing demands and expectations in various forms of acco…
View article: School Principals' Work and Well-Being in Ontario: What They Say and Why It Matters
School Principals' Work and Well-Being in Ontario: What They Say and Why It Matters Open
In this age of unprecedented accountability and countless reforms, principals feel that they are being asked to continually step up and add more tasks to their list of day-to-day duties with limited or reduced resources. Principals have be…
View article: School Leaders’ Work During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Two-Pronged Approach
School Leaders’ Work During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Two-Pronged Approach Open
The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the nature of school principals’ work. Today, principals are expected to be exceptional managers and excellent leaders in a time where the pace of change has increased exponentially. Preliminary data sugge…
View article: School principals’ understandings of student difference and diversity and how these understandings influence their work
School principals’ understandings of student difference and diversity and how these understandings influence their work Open
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how Ontario principals make sense of difference within student populations and how this sensemaking influences how they do their work. Design/methodology/approach The paper reports on a quali…
View article: Proactively Mitigating School Leader’s Emotionally Draining Situations
Proactively Mitigating School Leader’s Emotionally Draining Situations Open
This case study focuses on emotionally draining situations for school leaders in the context of work intensification. Specifically, this study draws upon real-life reports from Canadian studies to present a fictitious scenario. This case d…
View article: Superintendents’ Work (Intensification) in a Shifting Policy Climate: Enacting a Student Discipline Strategy
Superintendents’ Work (Intensification) in a Shifting Policy Climate: Enacting a Student Discipline Strategy Open
In this case narrative, senior superintendents reckon with the challenges of implementing a revised strategic policy for student discipline in an intensified work environment. Challenges include: (a) providing professional learning to fami…
View article: Principals’ Work in Ontario’s French-Language Education Systems
Principals’ Work in Ontario’s French-Language Education Systems Open
In this study, we investigated French-language principals’ work in Ontario. More specifically, we explored principals’ work, the motivations behind their actions, and how they approach their work. In particular, our research team: (a) exam…
View article: School Principals’ Job Satisfaction: The Effects of Work Intensification
School Principals’ Job Satisfaction: The Effects of Work Intensification Open
This study examines principals’ job satisfaction in relation to their work intensification. Frederick Herzberg’s two-factor theory was used to shed light on how motivating and maintenance factors affect principals’ job satisfaction. Logist…
View article: The Use of E-mail and Principals’ Work: A Double-Edged Sword
The Use of E-mail and Principals’ Work: A Double-Edged Sword Open
E-mail is having a profound impact on the workplace; this is particularly true for schools and for those in the position of principal. This article uses data from interviews with 70 school principals to illustrate how e-mail influences the…
View article: Developing a knowledge network for applied education research to mobilise evidence in and for educational practice
Developing a knowledge network for applied education research to mobilise evidence in and for educational practice Open
Background: The importance of 'evidence-informed practice' has risen dramatically in education and in other public policy areas. This article focuses on the importance of knowledge mobilisation strategies, processes and outputs. It is conc…
View article: Inconvenient, but Essential: Impact and Influence of School-Community Involvement on Principals' Work and Workload.
Inconvenient, but Essential: Impact and Influence of School-Community Involvement on Principals' Work and Workload. Open
The work of contemporary school principals is intensifying in terms of complexity and volume. Many factors moderate and drive such work intensification. More than ever before, school principals are expected to build relationships with orga…
View article: Ontario's suspension and expulsion program evaluation: final report
Ontario's suspension and expulsion program evaluation: final report Open
In June 2015, the Ontario Ministry of Education and Western University’s Centre for Educational Leadership entered a contractual agreement. This contractual agreement concerns “Education and Research Services” as related to an evaluation o…
View article: The Changing Nature of Vice-Principals' Work: Final Report
The Changing Nature of Vice-Principals' Work: Final Report Open
This study examined the changing nature of vice-principals’ work in Ontario public schools. After the publication of the Principals’ Survey in 2013, nearly 400 vice-principals inquired about participating in a similar study; the present st…
View article: Finding the Sweet Spot: Network Structures and Processes for Increased Knowledge Mobilization
Finding the Sweet Spot: Network Structures and Processes for Increased Knowledge Mobilization Open
The use of networks in public education is one of a number of knowledge mobilization (KMb) strategies utilized to promote evidence-based research into practice. However, challenges exist in the ability to effectively mobilizing knowledge t…
View article: Principals’ Work in Ontario, Canada: Changing Demographics, Advancements in Information Communication Technology and Health and Wellbeing
Principals’ Work in Ontario, Canada: Changing Demographics, Advancements in Information Communication Technology and Health and Wellbeing Open
Contemporary agendas of high-stakes accountability initiatives, national and international competitiveness drives, and standardized curriculum policies have significantly influenced the work of principals. This article explores how these c…
View article: Complexity and Volume: An Inquiry into Factors that Drive Principals’ Work
Complexity and Volume: An Inquiry into Factors that Drive Principals’ Work Open
Background: The work of contemporary school principals is intensifying in terms of its complexity and volume. Many factors moderate and drive such work intensification. This study aims to understand what and how factors interact to complic…
View article: The New “New Teacher”
The New “New Teacher” Open
This chapter explores the notion of “new teacher”, and hiring practices associated with being a new teacher in Ontario. I consider growing teaching arrangements, such as non-permanent positions like substitute teachers, to be a form of con…