Educational Leadership in Crisis and Conflict: A Case Study on Ukrainian Educational Leadership and Institutional Adaptability

This research project aims to improve upon our understanding of the role of education during violent conflict through the Victim, Perpetrator, Liberator, and Peacebuilder (VPLP) framework posited by Pherali et al. (2022). This research uses decolonial theory to move beyond the lens of singularity into the lived and multiple realities of education during conflict. Using reflexive qualitative interviews of five Ukrainian educational leaders who conducted community projects following the full-scale hostilities beginning in 2022 (Mandragelya, 2022), it builds upon the VPLP framework from Pherali et al. (2022), to understand how Ukrainian schools adapted to crisis. These interviews revealed how Ukrainian educational leaders shift between all four roles described in the VPLP framework instead of just performing one role. This research explores the importance of leader agency in prioritizing building resilience to adapt to changing circumstances during conflict and move beyond victimisation and perpetration roles to include liberation and peacebuilding education. During conflict, these educational leaders attempted to balance their educational responsibilities with liberation by resisting Russian hegemonic tradition and peacebuilding through community and trust-building projects. These attempts highlight the crucial role of educational leadership utilising their positionality to make critical decisions regarding how schools function and impact their communities during conflict and crisis situations.