Poster #59 - "There Is No Linear in System Building": The Work of State Early Childhood Education Leaders

• In Event: 18.060 - MTCC Poster Session Two
  In Poster Session: 18.060-7 - Early Childhood Poster Session 1

Abstract

This paper uses qualitative data from interviews with 10 state ECE leaders from different states who were responsible for overseeing components of their state’s public preschool program. This paper explores the work of state ECE leaders and the skills and expertise they felt were needed to answer the research question: How do state ECE leaders describe their work as system builders? Findings describe how leaders developed and shared visions of ECE and created policies and systems within their states and detail the ECE and bureaucratic expertise leaders needed. Given the limited authority of leaders’ roles, findings suggest system building efforts my not be successful until some of the historic issues of fragmentation that undergird the ECE field are addressed.

Author

• Kaitlin Northey, The University of Vermont