Community and Equity in State-Level Virtual Schools from a Leadership Perspective

Citation

Mullen, C. A., & Warnick, S. K. (2025). Community and Equity in State-Level Virtual Schools from a Leadership Perspective. American Journal of Distance Education, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/08923647.2024.2441532

Abstract

Virtual school leadership is underexplored in research despite the increase in post-pandemic K–12 online learning (Johnson et al. 2023; Partin & Derrington, 2023). This article explores virtual school leadership from K–12 leaders’ perspectives on community and equity in online learning environments. Research questions were: (1) How do virtual program leaders describe their experience of developing a culturally inclusive community? (2) How do online instructional practices contribute to an equitable environment for diverse students? Twenty-one veteran leaders were interviewed from six state-level U.S. supplemental virtual programs with online courses for students enrolled at a local public school. A semistructured, research-aligned interview protocol generated transcriptions that, once analyzed, identified leaders’ associations with community and equity in virtual spaces. The discussion addresses community and equity at the program level for online employees and course level for teachers and public school students. Six findings pertained to culturally inclusive community and six to equitable learning environments. By elucidating K–12 online practices in multiple supplemental programs, this qualitative case analysis makes a contribution to understanding leadership in state-level virtual settings, particularly in community and equity. The implications for practitioners, policymakers, and researchers emphasize the importance of promoting strong community- and equity-oriented leadership.

Authors

• Mullen, Carol A
• Warnick, Sarah K

Reference Type

Journal

Keywords

• Leadership
• School leadership
• State Virtual Schools