CRISIS LEADERSHIP: MINNESOTA SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS' EXPERIENCES OF DISRUPTIVE TIMES AND SCHOOLS' RECOVERY IN THE POST-COVID-19 ERA

School superintendents face the task of effectively leading their school districts while performing a multitude of roles and responsibilities. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, which became prominent in late 2019 and early 2020, the roles and responsibilities for Minnesota school superintendents compounded. During the literature review period, limited information was found that school superintendents in Minnesota experience role ambiguity, stress, and burnout. The purpose of this study was to understand the shared experiences and the transformational leadership of Minnesota school superintendents during and following the COVID-19 pandemic. This qualitative ethnography included the individual interviews of administrators who held at least 5 years of superintendency experience, with at least 1 year during the COVID-19 pandemic. School superintendents in Minnesota completed semi-structured interviews. Data were inductively coded into categories, themes, and assertions. A common theme was that roles and responsibilities were more managerial than leadership focused. Other themes included the impact of additional roles and responsibilities on instructional leadership capacity, a leader's key support systems or lack thereof, the impact of environment on a leader, and school superintendent training. This study provides recommendations for Minnesota school superintendents, school board members, Minnesota educational leadership programs, and the Minnesota Department of Education.