The School District and the Elementary School Principal: Insights on Preschool Leadership

• In Event: AERA Graduate Student Research in Progress Roundtable Session Two
  In Roundtable Session: Early Childhood Education: Access, Pedagogy, Leadership, and Family Support (Table 3)

Abstract

Publicly funded preschools are increasingly common in elementary schools in the United States. In fact, 57% of public elementary schools housed a preschool grade in the 2018-2019 school year. While preschools in elementary schools have been expanding, school administrators have not simultaneously grown in their early childhood education leadership competencies. This means many administrators now find themselves the de facto leaders of preschool programs, without proper training to prepare them for the new responsibilities. A potential mediator of the gap between a principal's early childhood education competencies and their need to serve as instructional leaders for early education grades is the school district itself. However, the school district's role in early education leadership is understudied. This study aims to investigate the associations and relationships between school administrator leadership practices of preschool and school districts through a mixed methods research design. The study includes a survey of 520 school administrators in North Carolina with follow up interviews of 27 participants. Findings reveal associations with districts are strongest for certain preschool policies (preschool integration into a broader school environment, principal walkthroughs, preschool size, and number of preschool students who stay for kindergarten). Qualitative findings will be analyzed prior to the annual meeting. Taken together, early results indicate the specific policies and characteristics of coordinator-role relationships of school districts that have strongest associations with preschool and administrator leadership practices.

Author

• Austin Gragson, North Carolina State University
  Presenting Author