Abstract

During the past decade, many contributions have been made to literature regarding the affective dimension of educational leadership, providing a departure from the image of the educational leader as a political strategist operating with a focus on policies and programs. Examples incorporating the affective dimension include leadership models defined as charismatic, ethical, moral, and caring leadership. Despite the increase in professional literature in this arena, few empirical studies have examined this component of educational leadership. The purpose of this study was to examine the multiple expressions of spirituality in educational administration and how it influences professional practice. ;Four research questions guided this study. First, how do educational leaders conceptualize spirituality? Second, what core beliefs held by educational leaders do those leaders consider to be spiritual? Third, how does spirituality influence the leadership practices of educational leaders? Fourth, what sustains the spirituality of educational leaders over time? ;This ten-month study was conducted using critical ethnography as a framework to identify the spiritual beliefs of twelve public school administrators and the ways in which these spiritual beliefs inform their professional practice. Depth interviews were designed and on-site observations were conducted in order to gather the data from which the theory emerged. Using grounded theory, a theory of spirit-centered leadership was developed with the assistance of the participants. ;The findings indicate that spirituality significantly influences the educational leadership practices of the administrators in this study. Collectively, the participants define a sense of spirituality at the core of their leadership, informing their daily practice. Springing from this core spirituality is a set of spiritual beliefs including, but not limited to, respect, human goodness, connection, integrity, equity, humility, service, and personal growth. Leadership behaviors emanating from these spiritual beliefs are collectively identified as listening, asking questions, reflecting, caring, focusing, renewing, letting go, and empowering. Anecdotal examples of these beliefs and practices are provided as they relate to administrative responsibilities such as student discipline, staff supervision, and curriculum development