School Sustainability and School Leadership during Crisis Remote Education: Polish and German Experience

Abstract The objective of the presented study was to explore the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sustainability of school education by comparing Polish and German experiences in coping with the problems caused by the switch to emergency remote learning based on the school principals’ opinions. A qualitative approach was used for data collection and analysis. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 26 principals (13 from Poland and 13 from Germany). Thematic analysis was used to categorize the findings and to create themes and subthemes. The findings revealed that principals of both countries demonstrated clear positions for sustainable school functioning and proved their leadership competences to face the challenges of remote teaching during the pandemic. However, most of the participants reported issues regarding the organization and maintenance of sustainable e-learning, effective ICT integration and technological support. Both Polish and German school principals asserted, despite the lack of major institutional support, that their teaching staff managed to adapt quickly to the complex crisis conditions to mitigate the negative consequences of the COVID-19 on education.