Mediating crisis for vulnerable children through a digital platform: minority-sensitive leadership in wartime Ukraine
Abstract
This paper examines how minority-sensitive educational leadership emerges in Ukraine through the POVIR digital platform, developed to address wartime learning loss among vulnerable learners. Drawing on empirical data from a large-scale pilot implementation conducted in 2024–2025, the study investigates how digital tools and social-emotional learning frameworks can support educational recovery during protracted conflict. The pilot engaged 4,422 students in grades 5–11 across Ukraine, including learners affected by displacement, frontline exposure, disability, and other forms of war-related vulnerability. Of these, 2,518 registered on the platform and 2,005 actively participated in individualized mentoring, short
term academic “Sprints,” and extended “Marathon” learning programmes. Using descriptive quantitative analysis and qualitative feedback from students and educators, the study identifies patterns of learner engagement and academic progress. The findings indicate high participation rates, strong learner engagement, and measurable academic improvement, with average learning gains exceeding 11% during the extended intervention phase. The paper demonstrates that minority-sensitive leadership in wartime contexts can be operationalized through flexible digital infrastructures, trauma-informed pedagogies, and collaboration between civil society organizations and schools. By providing empirical evidence from a large-scale wartime pilot, the study extends research on educational leadership in emergency settings and offers a practice-based model for sustaining educational continuity and strengthening educational resilience among vulnerable learners during prolonged systemic disruption.
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References
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