The Impact of Covid-19: What School Principals as Instructional Leaders Act?

Purpose: The study is conducted to determine, explain, and analyze the role of the principal as a learning leader in the Covid-19 pandemic era.. Design/methodology/approach: The research uses a qualitative approach with descriptive methods. Data are obtained through a literature review and analyzed using a qualitative descriptive approach.. Findings: The results show that (1) the principal professionally conducted dialogue and discussions about learning during the Covid-19 pandemic; (2) the principal provides an example to the teacher in terms of learning; (3) the principal maintains communication, coordination, collaboration and synergy with teachers during the implementation of the online learning process; (4) school principals monitor and evaluate learning in a planned, programmed and continuous manner and make use of the results of monitoring and evaluation for professional development. Practical implications: In practical implementation, there are several things that the principal needs to do, namely (1) monitoring the progress of the school following the vision of the school; (2) being supportive and corrective when there are deviations in the implementation of activities that do not lead to the school's image; (3) monitoring and evaluating the management of the work structure of teachers and students; (4) increasing the role and function of online learning supervisors to improve the quality of learning practices and student learning outcomes in schools; (5) creating a pleasant climate for educators and educational staff as well as students.. Paper type: Research paper Keyword: Principals as learning leaders, learning leadership, covid-19 pandemic. Received: August 6 th , 2020 Revised: September 17 th , 2020 Published: September 30 th , 2020