The challenges of special education leadership require both inspiration and capacity. This qualitative study of a purposeful sample of members of a Midwestern special education professional organization explores how leaders in special education experience spirituality in their work—creating meaning, leading/supporting others, and coping with workplace demands. In response to internal and external struggles, analysis of interviews and journal entries shows spiritually inclined special education leaders cultivate a sense of gratitude, which flows into a cycle with trust. This choice leads to fulfilled feelings from enacting their values, rich collaboration, and success with integrating work into a balanced life. These findings suggest that prospective and current special education leaders can benefit from engaging in a spiritual perspective toward work.
BendassolliP. F. (2017). Emptiness and work: A meaning-making perspective. Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science, 51, 598–617.
2.
Berger-DrotarK. S. (2011). Filling the God-shaped hole: A qualitative study of spirituality and public high school teachers (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Kent State University, Kent, OH.
3.
BolmanL. G.DealT. E. (2001). Leading with soul: An uncommon journey of spirit (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
4.
BurrelloL. C.ZadnikD. J. (1986). Critical success factors of special education administrators. The Journal of Special Education, 20, 367–377.
5.
CapperC. A.KeyesM. W.TheoharisG. T. (2000). Spirituality in leadership: Implications for inclusive schooling. In VillaR. A.ThousandJ. S. (Eds.), Restructuring for caring and effective education: Piecing the puzzle together (2nd ed., pp. 513–530). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.
6.
CarterS. J. (2011). Burnout among special education administrators: A preliminary study. Journal of Special Education Leadership, 24, 104–110.
7.
CollinsP.KakabadseN. K. (2006). Perils of religion: Need for spirituality in the public sphere. Public Administration and Development, 26, 109–121.
8.
Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015, Pub. L. No. 114-95 Stat. 1177 (2015).
9.
FairholmG. W. (2011). Real leadership: How spiritual values give leadership meaning. Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger.
10.
FinkenbinderR. L. (1981). Special education administration and supervision: The state of the art. The Journal of Special Education, 15, 486–495.
11.
FullanM. (2002). Moral purpose writ large. School Administrator, 59, 14–17.
12.
GibsonA. (2014). Principals’ and teachers’ views of spirituality in principal leadership in three primary schools. Education Management Administration & Leadership, 42, 520–535.
13.
GornikR. (2019). Gently shaking the world. In HackneyC. E. (Ed.), Leading from a feminist soul (pp. 67–95). Charlotte, NC: Information Age.
14.
HoustonP. D. (2002). Why spirituality, and why now?School Administrator, 59, 6–9.
15.
HunterJ.SolomonJ. (2002). A psychological view of spirituality and leadership. School Administrator, 59, 38–41.
16.
Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004, Pub. L. No. 108-446, 118 Stat. 2647 (2004).
17.
KaranxhaZ.ZirkelP. A. (2014). Trends in special education law: Frequency outcomes in published court decisions 1998–2010. Journal of Special Education Leadership, 27, 55–65.
18.
KeyesM. W.Hanley-MaxwellC.CapperC. A. (1999). “Spirituality? It’s at the core of my leadership”: Empowering leadership in an inclusive elementary school. Educational Administration Quarterly, 35, 203–237.
19.
KouzesJ. M.PosnerB. Z. (2017). The leadership challenge: How to make extraordinary things happen in organizations (6th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
20.
LambertL.ZimmermanD. P.GardnerM. E. (2016). Liberating leadership capacity: Pathways to educational wisdom. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
21.
LantieriL. (2001). A vision of schools with spirit. In LantieriL. (Ed.), Schools with spirit (pp. 7–20). Boston, MA: Beacon Press.
22.
LashleyC.BoscardinM. L. (2003). Special education administration at a crossroads: Availability, licensure, and preparation of special education administrators. (COPSSEE Document No. IB-8). Gainesville, FL: Center on Personnel Studies in Special Education.
23.
LentzK. (2012). Transformational leadership in special education: Leading the IEP team. Lanham, MA: Rowan & Littlefield.
24.
Lips-WiersmaM. (2002). The influence of spiritual “meaning-making” on career behavior. Journal of Management Development, 21, 497–520.
25.
Lips-WiersmaM.MorrisL. (2011). The map of meaning: A guide to sustaining our humanity in the world of work. Sheffield, England: Greenleaf.
26.
MarshallJ. M. (2009). Describing the elephant: Preservice teachers talk about spiritual reasons for becoming a teacher. Teacher Education Quarterly, 36, 25–44.
27.
MayanM. J. (2009). Essentials of qualitative inquiry. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press.
28.
MillerP. B. (2002). An exploratory study of the ways principals perceive that their spirituality contributes to their leadership (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of La Verne, La Verne, CA.
29.
MitroffI. I.DentonE. A. (1999). A spiritual audit of corporate America. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
30.
MusickK. (2010). Spirituality and school leadership: A grounded theory study (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Denver, Denver, CO.
31.
OmanD.NeuhauserL. (2012). Spiritual factors in occupational health and well-being. In HillP. C.DikB. J. (Eds.), Psychology of religion and workplace spirituality (pp. 63–85). Charlotte, NC: Information Age.
32.
PalmerP. J. (2007). The courage to teach: Exploring the inner landscapes of a teacher’s life. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
33.
PassmanB. (2008). CASE in point: Knowledge, skills, and dispositions. Journal of Special Education Leadership, 21, 46–47.
34.
PazeyB. L.ColeH. A. (2012). The role of special education training in the development of socially just leaders: Building an equity consciousness in educational leadership programs. Educational Administration Quarterly, 49, 243–271.
35.
RamirezL. (2009). Spirituality in the praxis of educational leadership. Four public school principals’ perspectives on leading through spirituality (EdD dissertation). Texas Technical University. Retrieved fromhttp://tinyurl.com/y8tdwlr
36.
Scheff KohnC. (2008). The stories of practicing superintendents: The struggle to make the right decisions. In HoustonP. D.BlanksteinA. M.ColeR. W. (Eds.), Spirituality in educational leadership (pp. 89–109). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
37.
ShieldsC. M. (2013). Transformative leadership in education: Equitable change in an uncertain and complex world. New York, NY: Routledge.
38.
SinnottJ. D. (2011). Constructing the self in the face of aging and death: Complex thought and learning. In HoareC. (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of reciprocal adult development and learning (2nd ed., pp. 248–264). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
39.
SinnottJ. D. (2005). The dance of the transforming self: Both feelings of connection and complex thought are needed for learning. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Learning, 108, 27–37.
40.
SokolowS. L. (2002). Enlightened leadership. School Administrator, 59, 32–36.
41.
StarrattR. J. (2003). Centering educational administration: Cultivating meaning, community, responsibility. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
42.
ŠverkoB.Vizek-VidovićV. (1995). Studies of the meaning of work: Approaches, models and some findings. In SuperD. E.ŠverkoB.with assistance fromSuperC. M. (Eds.), Life roles, values and careers: International findings of the work importance study (pp. 3–21). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
43.
WagnerJ. Y.KatsiyannisA. (2010). Special education litigation update: Implications for school administrators. NASSP Bulletin, 94, 40–52.
44.
WheatleyM. J. (2005). Finding our way: Leadership for an uncertain time. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler.
45.
WheelerD. S.LaRoccoD. J. (2009). Special education administrators: Who and what helps buffer job-related stress?Journal of Special Education Leadership, 22, 85–92.
ZellarsK. L.PerrewéP. L.BreesJ. R. (2010). The multiple roles of spirituality in occupational stress and well-being. In GiacoloneR. A.JurkiewiczC. L. (Eds.), Handbook of workplace spirituality and organizational performance (2nd ed., pp. 227–240). Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe.
