Leading Through the “Influx:” Leadership Responses and the Influence of a Political Spectacle

Abstract

Principals encounter numerous crises, such as migration influxes. Relevant literature explains principals respond to these crises in a variety of ways. However, there is a dearth in the literature that examines what influences principals’ responses through a crisis. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative case study broadly asks, how, if at all, did principals respond to the “influx” of Puerto Rican students, and what factors influenced how the principals’ responded? By applying political spectacle theory, the findings of this study revealed two categories of response: preparing for the influx and recalibration after the influx did not occur. The insights gained from this study extend the knowledge base about principals and how political spectacles influence their responses during a crisis.