Preparing Early Education Leaders: An Analysis of UCEA Principal Preparation Programs

IF 2.4 2区 教育学 Q1 EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
Michael H. Little, Timothy Drake, Kathryn Chapman, Austin Gragson
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Purpose: Recently, a confluence of factors has focused elementary school leaders on early education. One factor is that nearly 60 percent of all public elementary schools in the U.S. today have a Pre-K program in the building. Yet, prior research reveals that leaders are often not prepared to effectively lead early education programs. This study assesses the current state of early education leadership preparation among UCEA-affiliated programs. Method: Using a sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach, our study draws on survey data from 232 principal preparation faculty members at UCEA-affiliated programs, follow-up interviews with 20 purposively sampled survey respondents, and content analysis of 113 program web pages. Findings: We found that preparation programs currently afford little attention to early education leadership coursework and content, despite faculty expressing it as an important goal. Only four percent of faculty from the survey reported that their program required a course focused on child development and/or early education—a finding corroborated by the website analysis. Last, our interviews reveal reasons for the limited engagement with early education leadership, including time constraints, limited faculty experience, and licensure and accreditation requirements. Implications: Policymakers aiming to improve early education leadership may revise principal certification requirements that could prompt revisions in principal preparation programs. Principal preparation programs, similarly, could revise their programming to intentionally expose principal candidates to key topics in early education leadership. A bi-directional and concerted reform effort is likely needed to meaningfully advance change in this area.
培养早期教育领导者:对 UCEA 校长预备课程的分析
目的:最近,各种因素汇集在一起,使小学领导者们开始关注早期教育。其中一个因素是,如今美国近 60% 的公立小学都设有学前班。然而,先前的研究显示,领导者往往没有做好有效领导早期教育项目的准备。本研究评估了 UCEA 附属项目中早期教育领导力准备的现状。方法:我们的研究采用了一种顺序解释的混合方法,利用了来自 UCEA 附属项目的 232 名校长准备教师的调查数据、对 20 名有目的抽样调查对象的后续访谈,以及对 113 个项目网页的内容分析。调查结果:我们发现,尽管教师们表示早期教育领导力是一个重要的目标,但目前的预备课程很少关注早期教育领导力的课程和内容。在调查中,只有 4% 的教师表示他们的专业要求开设一门以儿童发展和/或早期教育为重点的课程,这一结果在网站分析中得到了证实。最后,我们的访谈揭示了参与早期教育领导力课程有限的原因,包括时间限制、教师经验有限以及执照和认证要求。影响:旨在提高早期教育领导力的政策制定者可能会修订校长认证要求,这可能会促使校长预备课程的修订。同样,校长预备课程也可以修订其教学计划,有意识地让校长候选人接触早期教育领导力的关键主题。要切实推进这一领域的改革,可能需要双向的、协调一致的改革努力。
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来源期刊
Educational Administration Quarterly
Educational Administration Quarterly EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH-
CiteScore
6.90
自引率
3.00%
发文量
9
期刊介绍: Educational Administration Quarterly presents prominent empirical and conceptual articles focused on timely and critical leadership and policy issues of educational organizations. As an editorial team, we embrace traditional and emergent research paradigms, methods, and issues. We particularly promote the publication of rigorous and relevant scholarly work that enhances linkages among and utility for educational policy, practice, and research arenas.
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