Meeting The Needs of Medically Fragile/Chronically Ill Students: Through The Lens of Urban School Administrators

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the perceptions of four urban administrators and their management of students with chronic health conditions in the school setting. Generally speaking, there exist a scarcity within the literature that emphasizes leadership practices specifically related to serving students with chronic health conditions in the school environment. As such, the voices of school administrators and their direct and indirect influence on managing the school experience of these students is essentially non-existent.

This study advances an illustration of how school administrators describe their personal characteristics in the management of students with chronic conditions; how they exercise and interpret their acts in the management process; and how administrators describe their leadership acts related to both the academic achievement and social adjustment of students with chronic conditions in urban school environments. Findings from the study reveal that school administrators recognize that their involvement in managing a caring culture for students with chronic conditions is paramount for both their academic and social success; and they believe that they embody the leadership characteristics conducive to establishing a thriving culture for students.

Additionally, new findings reveal that though school leaders are engaged, they lack a uniform process in managing students with chronic conditions. Their voices also developed a Multicultural Critical Care leadership model that integrates the imperativeness of leading with a moral compass, creating inclusive environments and relying on transformational leadership practices in this critical process.