80 Figure 1 illustrates the themes and sub-themes of the findings for SQ1. Interaction with Professional Networks During COVID-19 The colossal disruption to public education systems caused by COVID-19 increased superintendents’ need for information and resources accessible through professional networks of all types. Study participants reported they continued to rely first on informal professional networks, but areas of needed support shifted to maintaining fundamental district operations and services made significantly more complex by the pandemic. Instructional delivery in remote settings, child nutrition services, health safety measures, and daily operations examined through the lens of exposure to a life-threatening virus required superintendents to reconsider and modify existing policies and procedures or create new ones to address unprecedented circumstances. Superintendents in small, rural districts leveraged their interpersonal strengths and relationships within the school community to bridge gaps in stakeholder opinions about the virus and appropriate district measures. Due to the politically charged local environment, superintendents in small, rural districts increased the emphasis on making important decisions locally that were reflective of input from district stakeholders. They collaborated heavily with their informal networks in their respective counties, sought expertise from non-education networks of county health officials, emergency management, and judges, and gathered ideas that featured innovative solutions for continuing operations safely. Superintendents accumulated ideas, information, and guidance to inform what would ultimately be locally determined administrative decisions with the best interest of their individual districts and unique circumstances in mind. Superintendents’ interactions with professional networks changed with the emergence of COVID-19 in that they engaged more with the ESC and formal professional networks overall due to the urgent need for information and resources. Although the organizations continued to mostly be a source of broad level information and guidance and examples, superintendents utilized the support services and networking of regional and statewide organizations more frequently to help inform their local relationships between small, rural superintendents and large organizations. Figure 1 illustrates the themes and sub-themes of the findings for SQ1. Figure 1 Themes and Sub-Themes of Sub-Question 1 (SQ1) Interaction with Professional Networks During COVID-19 The colossal disruption to public education systems caused by COVID-19 increased superintendents’ need for information and resources accessible through professional networks of all types. Study participants reported they continued to rely first on informal professional networks, but areas of needed support shifted to mainta ning fund mental distr ct operations and services made significantly more complex by the pandemic. I str ctional delivery in remote settings, child nutritio service , health safety measures, and daily operations examined through the le s of exposure to a life-threatening virus required superintendents to reconsider and modify existing policies and procedures or create new ones to address unpr cedented circumstances. Sub-Question 1 (SQ1) Interactions with Professional Networks Prior to COVID-19 Preference for Informal Professional Networks Proximity History and Established Connections Relationships Support Systems Formal Professional Networks That Feel Informal Regional Education Service Center Support Superintendent Leadership Academy and Superintendent Forum Minimal Interaction with Statewide Networks Figure 1 Themes and Sub-Themes of Sub-Question 1 (SQ1) Mickie Jackson, EdD
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