Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Early childhood leaders'

The problem that precipitated this study was the marked differences among early childhood education leaders in the quality of leadership for private early childhood entities as indicated by a voluntary quality rating improvement system in a Midwestern state. The scholarly literature lacks studies on characteristics of high-€quality leadership in early childhood education. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive case study was to explore characteristics of quality early childhood leadership based on examination of successful early childhood programs using leadership trait theory as a conceptual framework. Research questions were designed to examine characteristics of successful early childhood leaders based on the components of trait theory as reported by leaders themselves and as perceived by teachers working with them and parents whose children attend their programs. Data were collected from interviews and questionnaires. The sample included 12 high-€quality leaders who participated in the state quality rating system and had at least 5 years of leadership experience. From each school represented by the leaders, 5 teachers with 2 years of teaching experience and 3 parents with a child enrolled in the early childhood program for a minimum of 6 months participated in the study. Data were thematically coded, looking for themes, differences, and similarities. Common traits across all groups and data collection method were trustworthiness, self-€confidence, and dependability. Positive social change could come about through the encouragement of early childhood leaders who may be confident in awareness of the needs of children and families and dependable and trustworthy in providing an early learning program that may positively develop the emotional, physical, social, and academic needs of children.

Programwide implementation uses implementation science to provide the supports needed so all practitioners can use DEC recommended practices to improve child outcome. Participants will learn the process of programwide implementation, tools, and strategies they can use and how programwide implementation occurs within classroom and home visiting programs.

This thesis is an inquiry into leadership in early childhood education and care (ECEC). Leadership in ECEC is a key feature of contemporary early childhood policy positioned as a prerequisite for quality improvement. The method of collective biography was drawn on to investigate how leaders in early childhood produce understandings about ‘good’ leadership. This inquiry problematises notions of ‘good’ early childhood leadership. A number of ironic categories emerged that hold together competing and at times contradictory discourses, allowing for more complex understandings of leadership.

Research in the area of early childhood has confirmed that children accessing high-quality programs lead to better outcomes in kindergarten as well as later in life (Committee for Economic Development, 2006; Frabutt & Waldron, 2013; Hudson, 2014; Stewart, 2015; Temple & Reynolds, 2007). The factors highlighted in research contributing to these outcomes have included teacher effectiveness and classroom quality (Armor, 2014; Fernandez, 2010; Ryan, Whitebook, Kipnis, & Sakai, 2011). One factor missing from current research and policy is the role of the early childhood leader. The purpose of this basic interpretive qualitative study is to gain insights into how early childhood leaders’ experiences have shaped their understanding of leadership, focusing specifically on directors from licensed early childhood programs in Northern Virginia. The central research question guiding this inquiry is: What are the experiences of pre-kindergarten leaders in licensed pre-kindergarten programs in Northern Virginia that inform their development as a leader? Three sub questions are also included: What led an individual to become a pre-kindergarten leader? What has influenced the leadership philosophies of pre-kindergarten leaders? What has influenced the current leadership practices utilized by pre-kindergarten leaders? Data from interviews, walkthroughs, and document analyses with seven directors from early childhood centers in Northern Virginia were examined. Through this process, five themes emerged: generational influences, collegial influences, past work experience, environmental influences, and leadership characteristic and behaviors. Three conclusions were built upon these themes to address the research questions. First, participants entered the field of early childhood due to generational influences with their child entering preschool or just by “falling into” the field. Once in the field, collegial influences encouraged participants to pursue the director position. Participants also rose through the ranks, by beginning as a volunteer or teachers’ aide, becoming a teacher, and then ultimately becoming a director. Second, a director’s philosophies were reinforced through the media as well as professional organizations. Finally, a director’s practices were informed through collegial influences, past experiences, and environmental influences.

Purpose: The purpose of this Delphi study was to identify the competencies that early care and education systems leaders should possess as perceived by a panel of early childhood systems leadership experts. This study also identified which leadership competencies experts perceive will have the most impact on transformation of the field into an organized system of practice.

Methodology: This study used a mixed-methods Delphi approach consisting of three electronic surveys to identify competencies needed by early care and education systems leaders as perceived by a panel of national experts. Round 1 consisted of open-ended questions. Round 2 asked the panelists to rate each competency’s importance using a 6-point Likert scale. In Round 3 panelists were requested to choose which competencies were most important for systems leaders to impact the transformation of the field into an organized system of practice.

Major Findings: A quantitative analysis of Round 2 found that the expert panelists agreed on 65 competencies as important or very important for systems leaders to acquire. Some of the most highly rated competencies identified were developing relationships and partnerships, valuing diversity, collaborative leadership skills, and commitment to equity. In Round 3, 14 competencies were selected as necessary for systems leaders to impact transformation of the field, including systems thinking, big picture perspective, commitment to equity, and knowledge of policy and legislation. Through a qualitative literature analysis, the themes systems thinking, and collaborative and inclusive leadership were found to be most aligned with the research literature. A surprising finding was that the expert panelists did not rate knowledge of child development as important for systems leaders, which contrasted with the research literature.

Recommendations for Future Research: Include (a) replication of this study with representation from additional systems leaders throughout the country; (b) perceptions of stakeholders throughout the ECE workforce regarding leadership competencies, including diverse and marginalized populations and those in a variety of leadership roles; (c) tasks and objectives of systems leaders and a clear definition of their roles; and (d) impact of the absence or presence of knowledge of child development on the decisions of ECE systems leaders.

The purpose of this qualitative narrative inquiry was to explore the perceptions and lived experiences of Illinois Parents as Teachers (PAT) program leaders managing a multigenerational workforce. Supervisors state that leading a multigenerational staff possesses challenges that affect overall productivity (Bell, 2008). PAT stakeholders including leaders, facilitators, parents, and children risk failing to provide or receive optimal services because of weak supervisory practices. Obtaining the perceptions and lived experiences, as narrated by PAT leaders about the work practices, behaviors, ethics, and leadership styles of employees from various generations will add insight to this plight. The study involved 10 Illinois Parents as Teachers program leaders purposely selected based on the number of employees and generational cohorts represented in the program. The participants were interviewed using a semi-structured, open ended interview format; data was collected and analyzed. Five themes were extracted from the data using manual analysis and NVivo 9.0© to aid in the coding process. The themes were important to understanding the participant’s perceptions of managing a multigenerational staff. This study provided insight into how PAT leaders view employees from various generations in terms of work practices, behaviors, ethics, and leadership. The narratives provided rich accounts of leader’s experiences, which in turn will be a helpful professional development and technical assistance tool in training leaders to use the most effective techniques with a multigenerational staff. Suggestions for educational practice and further research are included in the recommendations.

This thesis reports a phenomenological study of the lived experiences of six female beginning directors of Queensland child care centres. The perspectives of the participants were shared with the researcher over a five-month period through interviews, synergetic focus groups and drawings. Their stories revealed leaders inprocess who, being faced with new contexts, were forced to reconsider values and beliefs about themselves and the meaning of leadership. They described themselves as jugglers of multiple roles and relationships which often seemed overwhelming, particularly within time constraints. Their stories, however, reveal resilient women who variously struggled, coped, coped competently and were transformed through their experiences. Self-awareness is, of essence, an individual self-directed journey. The study presents strategies to provide safe and secure situations for shared and individual exploration of self. This thesis argues that we need to reconceptualise leadership in terms of time and in dispelling delusions of goodness in leaders and followers. It argues that, for beginning directors to 'find themselves', as one participant described the process, they need safe and secure situations that support the self-awareness journey necessary to navigate their new contexts as leaders. This, in turn, stands to support higher levels of authenticity, self-esteem, motivation, and resilience for the individual, as well as increased trust within the organisation. The study presents a model for supporting beginning leaders toward resilience and authenticity. It is based on the essentialness of self-awareness to becoming a leader. Moreover, the study has implications for the public good as it informs policy and legislation governing early childhood centres in Queensland and early childhood training courses. Implications for the private good involve supporting beginning directors toward a greater understanding of their multiple roles, and, themselves within those roles.

The Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority describes the Educational Leader as influential, extending the pedagogy of educators (ACECQA, 2019). However the lack of specific guidelines for the Educational Leader position has resulted in uncertainty. The qualitative research study explores the practices and perceptions of four Western Australian Educational Leaders. The research findings are significant to the early childhood education and care sector by promoting dialogue about how the Educational Leaders themselves are interpreting their role.

Educational Administration
Ed.D.
This qualitative study explored the reasons why suburban district leaders opted for full-day or half-day kindergarten programming in a sample of four local suburban districts operating such programs in Southeastern, Pennsylvania. The primary data source was interviews with key district leaders including school board members, superintendents, assistant superintendents, directors of elementary education, and directors of curriculum. Review of district documents as well as informal observations in the field were used to supplement the interview data. Suburban district leaders' perceptions, values, and opinions were examined in this study to determine how decisions for kindergarten programming were made. District leaders, especially superintendents, are charged with the enormous responsibility to program appropriately for the needs of their district. This study sought to reveal how such a critical but complex decision pertaining to kindergarten programming was reached in suburban communities. "Full-day kindergarten reappeared first in the 1960's as an intervention designed to help disadvantaged children catch up to their peers through additional schooling" (DeCicca, 2007, p. 67). Presently, full-day kindergarten appears to be gaining increasing momentum as more and more mothers are working to provide additional income for their families. The era of middle class stay at home moms has been on a decline due to the unstable economy, rising cost of living, single parent households, a greater need to supplement family income, to further their own self-development, and an opportunity for women to contribute to the workforce. Educators, on the other hand, remain divided on the issue of full-day kindergarten versus half-day kindergarten primarily due to funding issues, equivocal evidence of academic gains, and resource allocations. "Given the additional expense of full-day kindergarten, information regarding the size and duration of gains should be of great interest to policymakers" (DeCicca, 2007, p. 67). The recent push for full-day kindergarten has occurred at the state level. Whether the participation in a full-day program is associated with improved outcomes has been the focus of intense inquiry (Le, Kirby, Barney, Setodji & Gershwin, 2006). Kindergarten programming in the United States has changed considerably in the last 50 years as a result of state and local standards enforced in districts across the country. All that children needed to do in a traditional kindergarten was to play and adjust themselves to a social setting (Nelson, 2000). Now, kindergarten has evolved into another grade of academics where rigorous curricula have been implemented along with higher expectations placed on schools to succeed. The controversy arises over the inconsistencies with kindergarten programming, especially for suburban children. Suburban districts are continually challenged to meet the needs of all kindergarten learners as a result of the growing changes in demographics across the county. Due to the increased populations of English Language Learners and Economically Disadvantaged Learners, the challenge to program effectively for kindergarten students can be concerning to district leadership due to old mores that are no longer appropriate to program sufficiently. The intent of this study was to inform the reader about how complex decisions such as kindergarten programming were reached. Another intent of this study was to delve deeper into the perceptions, values, and opinions of those decision makers to gain a better understanding of the reasons why and how decision makers selected half-day or full-day kindergarten for their district. The methodology utilized in this qualitative study was a case study design. The researcher collected data through interviews with district leaders including school boards members, superintendents, assistant superintendents, directors of elementary education, and directors of curriculum. Observations in the field were conducted along with a review of key district documents such as strategic plans, school improvement plans, curriculum, and achievement data. The potential impact of this study was to inform the reader about the processes used by district leaders when making informed decisions about kindergarten programming. Suburban areas may benefit from this study because the results provided rich descriptive reports that can be utilized by parents, educators, policymakers, and the general public to gain a deeper understanding of suburban kindergarten in one state.
Temple University--Theses

Advocacy and leadership style are essential concepts in education. This qualitative case study was undertaken to demonstrate how Robert K. Greenleaf’s servant-leadership framework could be a useful framework to adopt by educational leaders and child advocates. Servant-leadership identifies the needs of others as a primary goal of leadership. The study contributes to understanding the value of exemplary servant-leadership and advocacy in public education as demonstrated by David Lawrence Jr. The researcher addressed questions regarding how Lawrence embodies servant-leadership traits and explored how a servant-leader has been positively influencing early childhood public educational policy in Florida to benefit all children. There were 16 interviews conducted with individuals from four interest groups in Florida: business leaders, political leaders, local South Florida leaders and educational leaders. In addition, data were gathered by observing and interviewing Lawrence. His speeches and other archival documents were also analyzed. The findings illustrated the ten traits of the servant-leadership framework and identified five additional traits modeled by Lawrence that have contributed to his influence on public educational policy. A paradigm shift from authoritarian leadership to an authentic servant-leadership style that advocates for young children and promotes the importance of early childhood educational policy. The dichotomy examined throughout this research focused on servant-leadership and advocacy that is instrumental to make a difference in education as an educational leader navigates through political agendas. Lawrence leads a “Children’s Movement” in Florida that includes an ongoing bi-partisan individuals movement that has changed early childhood education in Florida. The findings of this investigation validate that servant-leadership framework could influence the transformation of public education.

This exploratory, qualitative multiple-site case study examined principals’ expectations of teaching practices and children’s learning for early elementary grade levels (K, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd). Specifically, this study investigated principals’ understanding of developmentally appropriate practices regarding instructional methods, curriculum content, and assessment strategies. This study also examined how these constructs impact leadership decisions and offered contextual examples to exemplify their influence in real-life situations. Data collection included different school configurations (i.e., PreK-1st grade, PreK-3rd grade, K-5th grade, PreK-8th grade), and consisted of multiple data sources – school observations, teacher and principal interviews, questionnaires, teacher evaluations, a video clip, and artifacts. The twelve guidelines of Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP) and the Professional Standards of Educational Leaders (PSEL) provided a framework for thematic analysis. Results indicate principals have minimal training in early childhood pedagogy which may impact teacher evaluations and hiring practices. Results also suggest principals’ explicit leadership decisions conflict with DAP (utilization of external rewards, elimination of art, elimination of play, insufficient reporting measures, etc.). These leadership decisions may inhibit student growth, learning, and development including opportunities for self-regulation. Principals’ implicit leadership decisions may also be promoting inappropriate instructional practices (i.e., prescribed curriculum, teacher-directed whole group instruction, lengthy computerized testing, etc.), but data suggests external influences could be a factor as well. Policy implications and practice recommendations are included.

This qualitative case study focused on how school leaders’ understandings of (dis)ability were implicated in decision-making and affected student (dis)enrollment in Florida’s Voluntary Prekindergarten Program (VPK). More specifically it explored how leaders in private VPK programs invoked conceptions of normality, and subsequently abnormality, during decision-making processes for student (dis)enrollment. Combining a critical poststructuralist approach (critical disability studies, critical policy analysis), decision-making on (dis)enrollment was contextualized within the current policy ecology. This policy ecology was framed as an historical development of policies regarding preschool for children with and without disabilities in a marketplace shaped by the convergence of federal, state, and local policy, which tended to be based on deficit-oriented perspectives of disability that functioned to (re)constructed what was understood as (dis)ability. Further, findings focused on how policy, market, and VPK leaders’ understanding of (dis)ability influenced decision-making rationales and outcomes affecting (dis)enrolled students. Findings indicated their sense of identity impacted their interpretation of and reaction to program polices, local market pressures and their construction of the “good consumer”—a parent/child dyad prepared for rigor and the exhibition of self-control. Reciprocity emerged as a theme and suggested good consumers reinforced VPK leaders’ desired identity. In addition, VPK leaders’ justified enrollment and disenrollment decisions within a continuum of exchanges that occurred between consumers and themselves. Leaders who embraced service or spiritual based leadership practices tended to be more inclusive of children with diverse needs. Implications for future research should address 1) how VPK leaders include children with a range of abilities in their (pre)schools, 2) examine parents’ decision-making practices about their child’s (dis)enrollment in VPK centers, 3) policy clarification at the intersection of IDEA, ADA, and VPK, and 4) explore how local education agencies and private preschools can build infrastructure to support the inclusion of children with diverse learning needs in VPK centers. Such research can shed light on the complexity of decision-making with respect to enrollment for publicly-funded voucher programs on the private VPK market and how those decisions function to (re)shape discourses of normality in early childhood.

This thesis generated practical insights into how membership of a multidisciplinary network supported the professional practice of a small group of service leaders working in long day care in a Queensland community characterised by complexity. Nested within an Australian Research Council funded national Early Childhood Education and Care Workforce Study, this study contributes to the identification of effective strategies to grow and sustain a professional early years workforce.

The department chair position is the most critical role in a university. It is complex and filled with ambiguity. Seasoned and new department level leaders share journeys and strategies to address concerns/challenges/barriers for transitioning to leadership positions. Session offers potential/current academic leaders a forum to discuss challenges, strategies, and solutions.

This mixed methods study was designed to examine the effectiveness of the HearBuilder Phonological Awareness software program on the acquisition of phonological awareness in African-American preschool children. Additionally, the researcher investigated the relationship between the independent variables of student engagement, student motivation, student behavior, and student attendance on the dependent variable of acquisition of phonological awareness as measured by the gain score. Descriptive statistical analyses were used to describe, summarize, and interpret the data collected. After examining the aforesaid variables, the researcher found there were no significant relationships between the gain scores and any of the independent variables. But there were useful significant relationships between the independent variables of student motivation, student engagement, and student attendance. The researcher also examined the differences between the pretest and posttest for the experimental and control groups combined. A significant difference was found between these two tests suggesting that the HearBuilder Phonological Awareness software program was effective in improving student’s performance in the experimental group. There was no significant difference, however, between pre and posttest based on gender. So while one can see the effectiveness in the HearBuilder Phonological Awareness program based on the difference between the pre and posttest, the reason does not lie in the variables selected as independent variables, but in other variables not included in the study such as instructional strategies. Finally, the researcher investigated the difference in the performance of the experimental group and the control group as measured by the mean gain scores. Key results revealed that the experimental group scored higher than the control group on the HearBuilder Phonological Awareness posttest as measured by the gain score. Early Childhood administrators can utilize this investigation as a vehicle to advance their instructional leadership skills and teachers can improve their pedagogical practices.

"This research examines possibilities for advocacy leadership in Australian Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) settings regulated by current ECEC policy (Council of Australian Governments [COAG], 2009a). Advocacy leadership has been defined by Blank (1997) as leading with long- term planning and vision which can be utilised to reform public regulations and policy. Building upon Blank’s (1997) construction of advocacy leadership, this research considers ways to open possibilities for advocacy leadership in the Australian ECEC context through exploring the position of educational leader through changing research approaches. Of central concern in this research are apparent silences regarding advocacy leadership in the implementation and development of current policies including the National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education and School Aged Care (NQF). A focus group and an individual interview were used as data collection methods to gather educators’ perspectives about advocacy leadership for themselves. Topical life history narratives were used as methodology to provide narratives for data analysis about one topic related to the participants’ work life. Participants were asked to share stories of their work life in response to questions about leadership in early childhood education. Participants were invited to join the focus group using purposeful selection. Four ECEC educators who did not hold a leadership position, were certificate, diploma or bachelor qualified with a minimum of five years’ experience and from the wider Brisbane area were invited to participate. Subsequently, one participant was invited to elaborate on her life history narrative responses through an individual interview. Although the research was focussed on the role of educational leaders in advocacy leadership, the participants were not educational leaders themselves. Data collected includes: a start list of constructs; transcripts of educators’ responses (from both the focus group and the interview) to questions about leadership prior to, and during, the introduction of the NQF; and field notes. A Foucauldian genealogical analysis was used to analyse the data which were located in educators’ topical life history narratives about their work. These were read through three discursive lenses, administrative, educational and governmental lenses. A reading of the data through these lenses shows ways in which administrative and educational leadership discourses can be seen to be predominant ways educators narrate their perspectives of leadership. At times, these narrations appear to express their experience of leadership as competing expectations and priorities. The analysis of the data reading for techniques of governmentality highlights ways in which there are multiple opportunities to construct leadership in ECEC. The consideration of ways discourses and techniques of governmentality enable and constrain advocacy leadership opens possibilities for thinking about and doing leadership differently in ECEC. This research could inform both ECEC leaders and educators in their practices and responses to current policy."

This research project offers educators a close and intimate view of the researcher's personal teaching efforts and a reflective account of responses to instruction. This qualitative reflective self-study includes written records of attempts to create and deliver reading comprehension lessons. It also includes a detailed account of how the researcher's reflections and insights affected lesson design as well as her responses to the academic, social, and emotional needs of the students. Furthermore, this self-study examines how teachers' and administrators' attitudes impact teaching and learning, with a thoughtful emphasis on how the gifts of under-represented students may be used in effectively planning instruction. Specifically, this self-study presents how reflection is used to examine the application of various teaching strategies with eight elementary school students attending a reading comprehension intervention class at an urban school in California. The researcher chronicles her use of culturally relevant teaching practices grounded in high expectations, and a belief in the importance of student empowerment for the purpose of increasing social justice and equity for all students. In this study, reflective notes of lessons are presented. Additionally, how the lessons were designed in order to create opportunities for a small group of African American and English Language Learner students to use their talents and gifts to improve comprehension of text are detailed. This teacher-research study provides insights on how a cycle of deep reflection and consideration of planned instructional actions and design might be improved. As part of the reflection and instructional planning process described in this study, there is focus on the students' thinking and learning processes and domains that support the students as they become self-empowered, independent, and confident readers. The examination of the thinking process of the students, as well reflection and self-examination of instruction by the teacher-researcher, are the center of study. Ultimately, a vivid story unfolds of how both the students and teacher-researcher become more empowered as gifted readers, writers, and communicators of transformation.

This qualitative multiple case study was undertaken to answer the following question: How did Reading Recovery^® (RR) teachers and former Reading Recovery teachers in a mid-sized rural school system in the southeastern United States describe the influences of their Reading Recovery training as it related to their current professional lives? Additional questions included: (1) How did training in Reading Recovery position the teacher as a reading expert within her school? (2) How did Reading Recovery change her approach to working with struggling readers? (3) How did the "behind the glass" experience impact the teacher's own teaching? (4) How did training affect the teacher's ability to discuss complex reading problems with co-workers? (5) How has Reading Recovery training influenced the teacher's professional goals and ambitions? (6) How has the passage of time since the teacher's training year altered her perception of the usefulness of her training?

Two case studies were undertaken to answer these questions. Both studies involved face to face interviews, teacher observations, and electronic journal entries submitted by the participants. Case Study One looked at the professional lives of three currently active Reading Recovery teachers and revealed five themes: (1) Instructional empowerment, (2) Increased professional status, (3) Reliance on a community of learners, (4) Concern for the whole child, and (5) Lack of teaching/working time.

Two years later, Case Study Two was initiated. At this time Reading Recovery had been discontinued in the county school system. A total of 12 former RR teachers were interviewed, observed on the job, and contributed to electronic journals. Five themes emerged from this study: (1) Instructional knowledge from theory, (2) Student benefits, (3) School and community benefits, (4) Professional benefits, and (5) Personal benefits. The overarching theme for both cases was - Power through Knowledge. Unanticipated findings included: self-imposed teacher accountability, professional courage, "knowledge envy" by non-RR individuals, and the transferability of Reading Recovery knowledge outward into the school and local community.

We have many developmental theories contributing to our understanding of children as they meander steadfastly toward maturation. Yet, none have reported on how young children interpret the qualitative meaning and importance of their own music-making experiences. Music created by average, not prodigious, young children is perceived by adults as “play” music rather than “real” music. But do young children take the same view as adults? When Piaget speaks of the young child’s qualitatively unique view and experience of the world (Ginsberg & Opper, 1988), can we assume that his statement encompasses young children’s predispositions related to music-making? Music is understood to occur when people act intentionally to produce and organize sound into rhythm and form. The guiding questions for this study are, What evidence is there to show that, when following an adult music leader, young children can engage in authentic music-making behavior and produce identifiable musical structures that move beyond random sounds or ‘noise’? What evidence is there to show that children's music-making behavior develops according to developmental stages? trek This qualitative field study observed and videotaped over 100 children between 2 and 7 years old who chose to engage in music-making behavior in a socially-rich school environment during structured activities guided by an adult “music leader.” The data gathered from this study suggest that young children’s motivation to make music derive from predispositions unrelated to notions of cultural and artistic expression thereby differing from adult musical needs and are instead based on more primary responses to their own developmental needs and their social environment. Functioning as “music leader,” the PI appeared to serve as an indispensable interface for assuring authenticity in the children’s music-making at all stages of development. The older children did not introduce any novel behavior specifically related to making music. However, due to the progression of cognitive and social maturity across the range of ages, new extra-musical behavior (EMB) slowly emerged at each developmental stage always seeming to enrich the experience relative to a particular group.

"...This study reports a critical analysis of the lived experience of a group of early childhood leaders in a regional area of Australia as they come together to discuss the ethical dimensions of their workplaces.". The last two decades have seen increased attention to applied ethics in the professions, nationally and internationally, in most areas of public life, including education. This study reports a critical analysis of the lived experience of a group of early childhood leaders in a regional area of Australia as they come together to discuss the ethical dimensions of their workplaces. It is informed by the broad literature on applied ethics and more recent feminist concerns for its theoretical framing in ethics, and by practitioner action research for its methodology. The study's focus on lived experience, conducted through an action-oriented group process of collaborative knowledge construction, responds to more recent work in applied ethics (Winkler & Coombs, 1993; Jordan, 1996) and feminist ethics (Benhabib, 1987, 1992; Haraway 1991; Hekman, 1995) that calls for closer attention to ethics in situated contexts. Four major themes or areas of concern emerged from the study group, each giving rise to ethical discussion: parent-staff relationships, curriculum, colleagues andthe impact of marketisation. These identified priorities among the group's discussions highlight the embedded or situated nature of ethics and how ethics are fundamentally tied to relationships as they are played out in local sites. The issues are presented both in descriptive terms, illuminating how a group of women leaders deal with ethical issues, and in analytic terms, drawing on a range of theoretical resources to help explain the significance of the ethical issues at stake for and in the field of early childhood. The major engagement by the field in the arena of ethics in Australia has been the development and promulgation of a national code of ethics a decade ago (Australian Early Childhood Education Association, 1991). As a field only recently established within the university sector, there has been little research effort directed towards ethics and this has been mainly focussed on implementation issues around the code. This study, through its focus on lived experience, adds to the basic data available to the field and provides some theoretical resources to problematise dominant approaches to ethics. The study findings indicate that, whilst the codification project usefully provides a language and framework for discussing ethics, and has allowed issues to be identified by practitioners as ethical rather than as matters of management or personal style, in practice issues tended to be resolved procedurally. Current resources available to the field inadequately support an ethic of care that might offer a viable alternative to the application of universalised notions of justice that characterise many of the responses in the group. These kinds of responses tend to reinforce traditional constructions of professionalism and distance these leaders from the very people with whom they are trying to establish respectful and reciprocal relationships. The findings from the study group suggest the need for more robust theoretical frameworks to address competing and dominant discourses within the field. It is suggested that emerging resources from feminist ethics provide the basis for a revisioned ethic of care (Tronto, 1993, 1995), in which understandings of care are expanded and elaborated beyond relationships of dependency, as an alternative framework for dealing with ethics within the highly feminised field of early childhood. There is also a clear need for the further generation of rich qualitative data that can provide nuanced accounts of caring relationships within the field in order to support the development of a stronger ethical practice within the institutions of early childhood in the public arena.

There is evidence in the research literature that outlines the role of the Educational Leader (EL) is an important but developing role in the delivery of high-quality early childhood education and care. The National Quality Standard (NQS) stipulates a national criterion against which the quality of early childhood education and care services in Australia is benchmarked. This research used a two-phased mixed method approach to explore the role and work practices of the EL in long day early childhood care centres. In Phase 1 of the research an on-line survey investigated the role of the EL and the work practices used. In Phase 2, interviews with ELs explored further in-depth insights into the role of, and work practices used by ELs. The results from this research have identified four main EL responsibilities, namely to facilitate: •professional practice; •administrative practice; •compliance with the requirements of the NQS (Quality Area 7); and •mentoring of centre educators. Within the four responsibilities, it was found that the EL uses a range of specific work practices. There are evident commonalities in the work practices used, but the extent of their use and the way in which the work practices are used varies from EL to EL. The findings from this research can be used to strengthen the quality of conversations between ELs, other educators, centre Directors and management about professional practice in the early childhood setting.

Over the last decade, the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) sector in Australia has undergone major reform with both federal and state governments introducing learning frameworks to address the quality of early education and care. The National Quality Framework (NQF) (Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority [ACECQA], 2018a) was established to raise quality and ensure that every Australian child receives the best possible start in life. As part of these reforms, the National Quality Standard (NQS) (ACECQA, 2018a) stipulates a requirement for the appointment of an Educational Leader in all prior to school settings: someone who will support, guide, and build the capacity of educators. The role of Educational Leader in ECEC is relatively new and there is a limited amount of research in this area. The aim of this research was to gain a deeper understanding of, and insight into, the day-to-day pedagogical leadership enactment and decision-making of Educational Leaders, with a view to broadening current definitions and understandings of the role. A constructionist approach that ascribes to an interpretivist theoretical perspective underlies the qualitative single-case study design adopted in this study. The research was conducted within the context of one early childhood education setting in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It involved participants with different roles in the setting, aimed at exploring how pedagogical leadership is understood and enacted. A qualitative single-case study design was selected to generate thick descriptions of how the Educational Leader gives direction, professional insight and informed expertise to educators in an ECEC setting, with major attention given to the uniqueness and complexity of the single case. Multiple methods of data collection were used over a six-month period: semi-structured interviews, shadowing, and the analysis of documents, artefacts and social media posts. Shadowing is not a commonly used method in early childhood research but was used in this study because of the richness of descriptive data that it offered and because of its suitability to the setting. The study sought to address two research questions: ‘How does the Educational Leader provide pedagogical leadership to early childhood educators in a particular early childhood setting?’ and ‘What are the influences that determine how the Educational Leader provides pedagogical guidance to educators in a particular early childhood setting’? Analysis of the data identified two main findings that addressed these questions. The first highlights the main features of the day-to-day functions of the Educational Leader at the setting. The second highlights some factors that influence the work of the Educational Leader. At times, these factors encourage success in their work and at other times they constrain success. The findings from this study provide a better understanding of the Educational Leader role in early childhood education and have the potential to inform policy. Of scholarly significance is the contribution of the shadowing method in research methodology, which is particularly useful in small-scale studies such as this one. Furthermore, the study contributes knowledge to the ECEC sector by providing insight into factors that influence how leadership practice is shaped and how the role of the Educational Leader is enacted in an ECEC setting.