Dr. Mary Louise Stahl, assistant professor of education, has published “Preparing Relational Leaders in Teacher Education: Graduate Student Perspectives on Leadership Practices.” The research was published Oct. 2 in the Journal of Practitioner Research.
The practitioner research study, conducted last year at Niagara University, explores how graduate education students interpret and prioritize the relational, professional and reflective leadership practices presented in a framework used in a graduate teacher education course. The framework, which centers on kindness, authenticity, relationship-building, professionalism and care, draws on Stahl’s 2022 book, “The Heart of School Leadership.” The book was informed by her 15 years as a teacher and 15 years as a school leader.
“In the book, I brought together 50 ideas about leadership grounded in my professional experiences and reflections,” said Stahl. “I wanted to explore how graduate students preparing for careers in education would interpret these ideas, which practices they would prioritize and how they would apply them to their own professional practice.”
Ten graduate students participated in an optional reflective survey, and their responses were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Six themes emerged: kindness and authenticity, relationship-building, self-care and balance, equity and respect for school culture, professionalism and competence, and boundary-setting.
The findings suggest that while graduate students value relational approaches to leadership, they also recognize the importance of personal well-being and sustainable professional boundaries. The study highlights the need for leadership preparation programs to address care for others alongside care for oneself.
“What excites me most is the recognition that caring for others and caring for oneself are not competing priorities,” Stahl said. “We often emphasize the importance of educators putting others first, but we also need to prepare future educators to recognize their own needs and well-being as essential to their work. I hope this research encourages teacher and leadership preparation programs to treat self-care, boundary-setting and sustainability not as optional extras, but as integral parts of responsible professional practice.”
Stahl has recently begun a follow-up study that builds on these findings by exploring how graduate teacher candidates understand the balance between caring for others and caring for themselves as educators.
“Together, these studies reflect my broader interest in preparing educators who lead with compassion, build meaningful relationships and develop sustainable practices that support both their students and themselves,” she said.
