Editorial on the Research Topic Education Leadership and the COVID-19 Crisis This research topic presents important developments in the field of education as the COVID-19 crisis ripples across the world. Not only have educators everywhere had to take extraordinary measures to deal with the health and safety threats they have encountered on a daily basis since the onset of this pandemic, but they have also had to learn new technologies, and respond to multiple demands as the landscape of

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... and learning shifted under their feet. The 20 articles in this collection, which capture early responses to the pandemic, highlight the complex, disruptive nature of this ongoing global challenge. While many of the authors have found hopeful ways to understand what educators have been experiencing, they also chronicle the harsh realities of loss and interrupted learning that weigh heavily on teachers, administrators, parents and students. Themes connecting this collection include: leadership contexts, organizational perspectives and potential future opportunities. Both empirical studies and thought-provoking essays offer informative insights into how the education community is striving to address the needs of a diverse student population and deliver crucial services to local neighborhoods and stakeholders situated far afield. In addition, authors identify future research that will be crucial for the field as individuals and systems grapple with what it means to live with this and future public health disasters. LEADERSHIP CONTEXTS Crisis leadership and the toll a crisis takes on human beings is examined in a number of the articles. Although often called upon to respond to emergencies (Virella and Cobb), leaders in education have not traditionally been prepared to manage crises (McLeod and Dulsky). Articles by Urick et al. and by McLeod and Dulsky identified the importance of self-care and support structures for principals while they navigate the turbulence of a crisis. In a study of Scottish primary Head Teachers, Ferguson et al. found that the leaders' focus on an ethics of care (Noddings, 1986 ) allowed them to re-negotiate their leadership role. Particularly important was the call-to-action school leaders embraced as the crisis exacerbated racial and economic inequities students experienced (Reyes-Guerra et al.; Virella and Cobb). DeMartino and Weiser analyzed school and higher education crisis leadership to understand the distinctions between the institutional response and the values of individual leaders. Similarly contrasted, rural superintendents and their school boards took different approaches to the public health crisis in Lochmiller's study and Hayes et al. found that rural school principals adopted caretaker leadership in response to Covid-19 challenges.