Dr. Felicia Blancher-Wilson

Assistant Professor
Division of Education
Xavier University

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Gifts of the Spirit: The Role of Spirituality in Effective Leaders

Those who occupy leadership positions in urban schools have always had a difficult job. That responsibility has become even more difficult and demanding in an age of burgeoning violence in schools, workplaces, and political arenas. Leaders are required to lean more on some "inner" or "unseen" help. This project seeks to explore how spiritual beliefs impact one's leadership style and one's ability to cope in varying situations. The project will examine the spiritual beliefs and positions of aspiring and practicing urban school administrators—with a focus on administrators in Professional Development Schools (PDS)—and correlate those beliefs to what each participant identifies as effective leadership characteristics.

A final and non-traditional area of this project will seek to examine the extent to which participants engage in daily spiritually defined activities while in the workplace.