Abstract:

COVID – 19 has changed the leadership and management of educational institutions in multiple ways. Every aspect of education has been disrupted, and the certainty that comes with experience is no longer valid. Education leaders can no longer predict tomorrow. The future seems uncertain. COVID – 19 has impacted educational leaders, regardless of their educational level, age, gender, ethnic origin, or geographic location. COVID 19 made it necessary for educational leaders to add management of Remote Readiness (RR) and Remote Learning (RL) to their job profiles. This study was quantitative and sought to explore how educational leaders responded to unprecedented challenges ushered in by COVID 19. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to analyze concepts related to COVID-19 impacting on educational leadership that could not be easily examined directly using traditional approaches. Emerging concepts were innovation, tech-savvy and remote readiness. The results indicate that the educator's academic qualifications were not a barometer to predict their perceptions of their institutions' remote readiness. The remote readiness was linked to the hierarchical positions of educators. Institutions were in disarray and could not commit to implementing blended learning immediately. The survey results further indicated that generation Z and Millennials embraced innovation more readily than other age groups. These results are indicative of the growing urgency for educational leaders to grapple with mastering digital Instructional leadership.

Keywords:

COVID-19, remote readiness, innovation, online learning, digital instructional leadership.