Contextualizing Distributed Leadership Within Early Childhood Education

Abstract

This article seeks to establish a new research agenda on distributed leadership by linking early childhood and school leadership research. It begins with a discussion of how distributed leadership is conceptualized, including a discussion of the main features and meanings of distributed leadership as defined by key scholars who have maintained a sustained interest in this topic. It explores theoretical bases underpinning leadership research that have adopted a distributed leadership framework in general and within early childhood education organizations in particular. By critiquing the application of learning derived from school-based research within early childhood settings, this article aims to engage readers across different education sectors to collaborate in reconceptualizing distributed leadership in the future.

The Role of Staff in Quality Improvement in Early Childhood

“…This policy direction reflects international research findings (Murray & McDowall Clark, 2013). As can be seen in EC centres in Finland, this positions educational leadership as the core business of EC educators/leaders (Heikka, Waniganayake, & Hujala, 2013): the assumption in Finland is that ALL educators with university degrees in EC are expected to be educational leaders. The UK research cited earlier also suggests that removing EYPS graduates from their hands-on work with children and placing them in administrative leadership positions where they spent more time in an office (as line managers rather than educational leaders) was counter-productive.…”

Teacher Conduct: A Survey on Professional Ethics among Chinese Kindergarten Teachers

“…Given the extreme importance of teamwork for early childhood education (Heikka, Waniganayake, & Hujala, 2013), professional relationship with colleagues becomes so crucial that it is not only an ordinary element of professional qualities but also important part of the ethics. For the benefit of children, kindergarten teachers must build up healthy and constructive relationship with their colleagues.…”

The experiences, expectations and evaluations of pre-school teachers as developers of curricula

“…Senised uurimused lasteaiaõpetajate tegevusest õppekava arenda misel (Colmer, Waniganayake, & Field, 2014;Heikka, Waniganayake, & Hujala, 2012) on siiski näidanud, et õpetajate koostöö soodustamiseks ja demokraatliku professionalismi juurutamiseks ei piisa üksnes nende põhi mõtete rõhutamisest õppekavadokumentides ning õpetaja omaniku tunde ja demokraatliku professionalismi tekkeks on vaja tugevat, samas demokraatlikku juhtimist. Alusharidusega seoses on avaldatud ka üldi semat kahtlust (vt Osgood, 2006(vt Osgood, , 2009, et riiklik reguleerimine, täpsemalt uusliberalism ja turumajandusele orienteeritus, pigem pärsib kui soodus tab õpetaja professio naalset arengut, hoolimata ametlikes dokumentides väljendatud vastupidisest taotlusest.…”