Leadership in Early Care and Education: Key Findings From the ExCELS Study

• In Event: The Role and Impact of Leadership Development, Well-Being, and Practice in Early Care and Education

Abstract

Study Objectives

Leadership is widely recognized as an essential driver of organizational performance and improvement. However, information is lacking on how to define key constructs and outcomes associated with leadership in center-based early care and education (ECE) settings (Authors, 2021a). This study developed a theory of change and a new measure of ECE leadership. It then conducted a descriptive study to test the measure and a set of hypotheses based on the theory of change.

Theoretical Framework

This study is grounded in the ExCELS theory of change, based on a systematic literature review (Authors, 2021a; see Figure 2.1). The literature review defines ECE leadership as a construct comprised of three elements: (1) who leaders are based on who participates in decision-making, leading for change, and quality improvement, (2) what leaders bring to leadership in their education, training, pedagogical knowledge, values, and beliefs, and (3) what leaders do to support children’s learning and development, center operations, and strategic planning, and to build relationships and coordination among staff and with families (Authors, 2021a). The theory of change hypothesizes the factors that influence leadership, as well as how leadership influences center culture, climate, and structures; as well as equity and outcomes for staff, center quality, and children and families.

Research Methods and Data Sources

The ExCELS study developed a new measure of ECE leadership and then conducted a large descriptive study to test it. Using an iterative process to build a measure with strong technical properties, we created nine scales to capture three core elements of leadership based on a combination of theory and data driven decisions. We recruited a purposive sample of 110 ECE centers serving children from birth to age 5 from four states that varied in federal funding source (Head Start and/or Child Care and Development Fund), center size, and geographic area critical for psychometric validation of the new measure. Data collection tools included interviews with the primary site leader; center manager survey with 1-3 managers depending on center size, and teaching staff survey with all teaching staff.

Results

Study results include findings about the reliability and validity of the new measure, as well as tests of the hypothesized associations about leadership and how it influences what happens in centers and outcomes for staff and center quality. Examples of key findings include: 1) the presence of teaching staff leadership in centers predicted higher family involvement, 2) effective instructional leadership and relational coordination practices of leaders predict lower job stress among teaching staff, 3) strategic and operational practices of leaders predicts job satisfaction among teaching staff, and 4) presentation of a typology reflecting distributed and centralized leadership structures.

Scholarly Significance

The development of the leadership measure and theory of change make an important contribution to the field. We discuss how it can be used for research to understand leadership in equitable and inclusive ways, for evaluation of leadership quality improvement initiatives, and to identify professional development needs of ECE managers and teaching staff. We will highlight next steps for measurement and leadership development.

Authors

• Anne Douglass, University of Massachusetts - Boston

• Gretchen Kirby, Mathematica Policy Research, Inc