Download or read book Differences Between Stated and Implemented Policies in Early Childhood Education Leadership written by Fortidas Rwehumbiza Bakuza and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: AbstractThe purpose of this study was to investigate the differences between the stated and implemented policies in Early Childhood Education (ECE) leadership in Tanzania. A qualitative case study was conducted in Tanzania at national level, local government authorities (district level) and primary school level in two districts of Temeke in Dar es Salaam and Bagamoyo in Pwani (Coast). The study was guided by four main research questions that were intended to find out how the policies enacted at the national level were implemented at local level, the professional background of those implementing the policies in ECE, supporting structures that were in place to support ECE leadership and the last question was looking at the perceived barriers in ECE leadership in Tanzania. Through the case study approach, key government documents on education were reviewed to determine the increase or decrease in students' enrollment, teacher training, curriculum development and resource allocations.^Interviews were conducted with national level officials, district education officials, primary school head teachers and classroom teachers. The total of 37 participants participated in this study; 9 people at national level, 4 people at the district level and 24 for teachers - six head teachers and 18 classroom teachers. The findings from the review of government documents revealed that although ECE was part of the formal education system; the enrollment of students in ECE classes was fluctuating indicating a decrease rather than an increase. The findings indicated that ECE was not included in the education annual budgets for the data that were available from 2003/04 to 2012/2013. Also findings indicated that there was a shortage of trained ECE teachers and that the current ratio of 1:114 was well above the approved teacher student ratio of 1:25. There was no report during this study that could indicate how the government was implementing the Teacher Development Management (TDMs) to meet the increased demand of qualified teachers. The findings from interviews confirmed the gaps that were found in the review of government documents in ECE. While the ETP 1995 was being implemented, it was found that the policy did not have a clear plan of implementation and there were many gaps between policy and practice because the policy was not accessible and was not well disseminated. Findings indicate that education activities in Tanzania are implemented through directives and guidelines from the national level and the policy is not known to many people even at the national level. The findings also revealed that ECE activities did not have government funding; a situation that was described as impeding the implementation of all planned activities in ECE. Findings also indicate that the few successful examples, such as document production dissemination, regular workshops and seminars were supported by donor agencies outside the government budget. However, donor agencies covered few districts and even within each district only a few schools were supported. Two challenges were observed: donor funds were at small scale, therefore creating inequalities even within the same district, and the donor funds are not sustainable. This study revealed that people who were in leadership positions did not have the prior ECE leadership training or they had short courses such as seminars and workshops. These findings were in line with findings in the literature review where ECE leadership training was viewed as an international problem. Findings in the literature review indicated that the field of ECE was dominated by women. This was also true in this study because out of 37 participants in this study only 9 participants were men and 28 participants were women. However, all 9 men were in leadership positions which also confirm with findings from a literature review that indicate leadership positions to be dominated by men. Findings from this study indicate that primary school teachers were working in poor environments with limited support. Curriculum was reported to change frequently without teacher training on curriculum implementations. The increase in the number of subjects at lower levels increased the pressure on teachers, but also the teachers could no longer spend enough time teaching the 3Rs [Reading, Writing and Arithmetic]. The overcrowded classrooms with limited teaching and learning materials increased the workload on teachers and lack of incentives reduced teacher morale. In order to help children succeed, all teachers suggested that subjects should be reduced in ECE, grade one and grade two in order to give enough time to teachers to teach the 3Rs. There were at least three limitations this study. The first limitation was the size of the sample for the study. Only 37 people were interviewed and this may limit our ability to generalize the findings. The second limitation was lack of research funding that could have allowed more time to reach out to more participants and more time in the field. Third, the study was conducted in only two districts; Temeke and Bagamoyo, in Tanzania. The two districts presented the most positive image of ECE because of donor support. The situation may be worse in rural districts which do not have donor support. Future research should take this study to scale in order to compare districts that do not have donor support and those with donor support in the implementation of ECE activities. Therefore, the three main findings from this study are lack of funding to ECE activities, lack or limited opportunities for ECE leadership training especially for head teachers who are supposed to provide pedagogical leadership and support to teachers and parents and the poor government communication which tends to be bureaucratic and one direction. In order to improve the implementation of education policy in ECE the government should ensure that there is in place a strategy that defines lines of communication from the national level to the school level and vice versa. The government should provide people in leadership positions with specialized training in the implementation of ECE policy. The government should increase the education budget and ECE allocation should be explicit, provide ECE leadership training and support to the head teachers to enable them to manage ECE classes for the quality of ECE; improve teaching and learning environments and the teachers' concern about the number of subjects should be taken seriously and involve higher learning institutions in policy development and implementation.
Download or read book Challenging the Intersection of Policy with Pedagogy written by Leanne Gibbs and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2019-02-18 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Asking key questions about how policies and systems impact on children’s early years and rethinking the ways in which young children’s learning and development becomes integral to policy, this insightful text challenges the common misconception that policy development and pedagogical implementation are separate endeavours. Challenging the Intersection of Policy with Pedagogy explores symbiotic dynamics between policy and practice in the early years to consider the implications of policies relating to documentation, professional well-being, mentoring, the role of the family, language development and diversity. Written to provoke group discussion and extend thinking, opportunities for international comparison, points for reflection and editorial provocations will help students, educators, integrated service providers and policy makers engage critically with a variety of understandings of how policy and practice interact. Considering the role of learning environment, the practitioner, the wider community and policy, chapters are divided into four key sections which reflect major influences on practice and pedagogy: Being alongside children Those who educate Embedding families and communities Working with systems Considering diverse settings and contexts, perspectives, policies and systems, this text will enhance understanding, support self-directed learning and provoke and transform thinking at both graduate and postgraduate levels, particularly in the field of early childhood education and care.
Download or read book Early Childhood Governance written by Sharon Lynn Kagan and published by Teachers College Press. This book was released on 2015-03-06 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nothing provided
Download or read book Ready or Not written by Stacie G. Goffin and published by Teachers College Press. This book was released on 2007 with total page 181 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After more than a century of evolution, early childhood care and education in the United States is in transition. In this frank discussion of the field’s purpose, identity, and responsibility, the authors examine the major issues that must be addressed if children are to be given more and better opportunities. They show how adaptive leadership work can unify the field, create openness to new change strategies, generate a shared vision, and build a viable strategy for its achievement. This provocative volume: Examines the leadership challenges of early childhood education, drawing lessons from extensive interviews and focus groups and from historical analyses.Suggests how the early care and education field can position itself to take charge of its future, rather than being driven by external influences. Outlines the need to focus internally, along with a challenging assessment of the field’s resistance to change.Focuses on the necessity for the early care and education field to engage in critical adaptive work or risk the consequences of not doing so. “This is a powerful book that has the potential to reinvent the field in ways that have yet to be determined. It should be required reading for all who work in early care and education.” —Josué Cruz, Jr., Dean, College of Education and Human Development at Bowling Green State University, Ohio, and past president of NAEYC “They get it! We need a true system of services for young children and their families in America. The authors explain to us why and present options for all of us to consider as we move forward.” —Dick Clifford, Associate Director, National Center For Early Development, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill “Goffin and Washington employ a variety of tactics to help us acknowledge imminent fork-in-the-road options in our field….If we fail to engage in this adaptive work, we will be no better than the elected officials whom we criticize for their partisan stubbornness and refusal to collaborate for the good of the whole.” —Marilyn M. Smith, Council for Professional Recognition, Washington, DC
Download or read book Leading for Change in Early Care and Education written by Anne L. Douglass and published by Teachers College Press. This book was released on 2017 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Featuring both research findings and practical recommendations, this book presents an innovative framework for nurturing leadership in the care and education of young children. Early educators are often seen as the objects of change, rather than the architects and co-creators of change. Douglass calls for a paradigm shift in thinking that challenges many long-held stereotypes about the early care and education workforce’s capacity to lead change. Case studies show how educators use their expertise every day to make a difference in the lives of children and families. These accounts demonstrate concrete strategies for expanding current thinking about who can be leaders for change and for developing more inclusive pathways for leadership. This book has the potential to revolutionize the field with a new model for developing and nurturing innovative, entrepreneurial, and skilled early educator leaders capable of driving transformative change—from classrooms and home-based programs to communities and beyond. “Douglass boldly calls for a re-envisioning of access to leadership in early care and education.” —From the Foreword by Lea J. E. Austin, co-director, Center for the Study of Child Care Employment “Provides a new and motivating lens for improving early childhood education ‘on the ground.’ This is a welcome and significant contribution to the field.” —Stacie G. Goffin, principal, Goffin Strategy Group “Offers a new framework for thinking about leadership development, including research findings and practical recommendations to create clear pathways and a supportive ecosystem.” —Marilou Hyson, consultant, Early Childhood Development and Education
Download or read book On the Road to High Quality Early Learning written by Marjorie E. Wechsler and published by Teachers College Press. This book was released on 2018 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This timely book will help policymakers and practitioners convert their visions of high-quality early education into on-the-ground reality by providing a much-needed, richly detailed look at how states can design, fund, and manage exemplary programs. The authors describe and analyze how four states—Michigan, West Virginia, Washington, and North Carolina—have built early education systems that positively affect student outcomes. Sharing a commitment to advancing key elements of a quality preschool education, each of the states developed programs with different enrollment requirements, services, and oversight. All of them, however, rely on common overarching strategies, such as: establishing standards and supporting improvement, investing in knowledgeable educators, coordinating and aligning early education programs with elementary school, seeking sufficient funding sources and mechanisms, and building broad-based support. This book offers powerful lessons for anyone who is committed to delivering engaging, age-appropriate preschool programs for all. “This book is so valuable—it’s a ‘how-to’ for the current generation of political leaders, Republicans and Democrats alike, who want to develop early education policies and practices that work.” —James B. Hunt, Jr., former Governor of North Carolina “This book provides critical insights for addressing the key challenge to preschool policy: fulfilling preschool’s promise at scale.” —W. Steven Barnett, National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) “A great resource for everybody engaged in state-level processes on behalf of young children, providing valuable lessons from leading states to help other states chart their own path.” —Elliot Regenstein, Foresight Law + Policy “A detailed and fascinating account of how distributive leadership, collaboration, and professional learning can greatly and positively influence teachers’ effective use of data.” —Randi Weingarten, president, American Federation of Teachers
Download or read book Global Perspectives on Leadership in Early Childhood Education written by Matshediso Modise and published by Helsinki University Press. This book was released on 2023-12-20 with total page 340 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Global Perspectives on Leadership in Early Childhood Education aims to improve leadership and management in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) settings through research evidence. Written for a wide audience, including the academic community, policymakers, practitioners, teachers, directors, and professionals, the book provides knowledge and tools to enhance the ECEC sector. Divided into three thematic sections, the book examines the theory of leadership in ECEC, strategies for improving professional development, and the governance and policies related to ECEC leadership worldwide. In its 16 chapters that blend theoretical and practical perspectives, the book addresses diverse topics, such as pedagogical leadership in different countries, peer mentoring, and the utilization of digital technology in early childhood education. The volume draws upon collaboration through the International Leadership Research Forum in Early Childhood (ILRF–EC) and encompasses contributions from across the world, from South Africa to Norway, Australia, Finland, and beyond. By incorporating different contexts and viewpoints, Global Perspectives on Leadership in Early Childhood Education makes a significant and timely contribution to the field of education.
Download or read book Educational Leadership Policy and Foundations and Curriculum and Instruction written by Michael Bryan Abel and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 151 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Teacher preparation programs in the United States face increasing pressure to restore America as the preeminent leader in a knowledge-based global economy by graduating a highly skilled workforce. A growing national focus on the importance of early childhood education as a key factor for improving student performance is drawing attention to preparation programs for teachers of young children. College administrators of these programs are challenged by wide variability in program type and the degrees offered, characteristics of the institutional setting, and limited institutional resources. Furthermore, there is a lack of clarity about what bounds early care and education and differing opinions about best practices. Standards, regulations, and teacher certification criteria in early childhood education are varied and dynamic across states. Little is known about the effectiveness of early childhood teacher preparation. This dissertation research examined differences in faculty beliefs compared across factors including types of higher education organizations--as defined by Birnbaum's (1988) model of administrative practice, the Carnegie classification of colleges and universities, and whether their early childhood programs lead to teacher certification. A national survey of 151 early childhood teacher educators, from 125 colleges and universities, in 35 states was conducted to assess beliefs about developmentally appropriate practice (DAP)--the industry standard and a key distinguishing feature of high-quality early education. The Teacher Beliefs Scale (Charlesworth et al., 1990, 1993) was selected to assess the degree to which teacher beliefs align with appropriate practices. This study revealed that faculty beliefs were predicted by organizational types of colleges and universities (collegial, bureaucratic, political, anarchical, and cybernetic) related to their governance structure and organizational coupling relationships. Findings suggested that faculty teaching in institutions, which they perceived to be of the anarchical type, were more likely to have DAP beliefs. Also, significant differences in faculty beliefs were found between two-year colleges and four-year institutions. Assuming that faculty beliefs are reflected in the curriculum and pedagogy in teacher preparation, evidence about differences across program type and classification will be useful for college and university administrators, public policy makers, and professionals serving the early childhood system.
Download or read book Leadership in Early Childhood Education written by Joce Nuttall and published by Springer. This book was released on 2024-03-20 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book presents a conceptual framework for understanding leadership for effective educator learning in early childhood settings. The book describes how leaders can move centre practices from crisis to stabilization. It argues that a core component of leaders' work in early childhood settings is to construct and enact epistemological accounts of practice change. The book includes case examples that bring to life the contexts early childhood services and services leaders who participated in the research. The book also describes the application of cultural-historical activity theory to the development of practice in early childhood education. It describes how background theory, literature, and data can be synthesized to create new focal theory in education. Readers will benefit from the theory that is presented, establishing a sound basis for testing in future research in schools as well as in early childhood education. “Joce Nuttall and team are congratulated for their ground-breaking scholarly endeavour in designing, implementing, validating findings, and then writing a book that unambiguously connects theory-policy-practice in enacting leadership in early childhood settings. This book is ambitious, eloquent, and inspirational. The research was driven by a bold vision to build a new theorisation of early childhood leadership. The writing style of the book makes the complex clear and easy to digest, and thereby strengthening its readability and understanding. The comparative lens adopted in the study, underscores the neoliberal control of the working lives of early childhood leaders in both Australia and England. The use of case study narratives to explain various aspects including the study design and methodology, was refreshingly engaging. Notes of encouragement addressed to novice researchers such as those embarking on higher degree studies, also provide apt guidance about the messiness of conducting qualitative research. The book is infused with lots of examples demonstrating the transformative power of learning – especially when expertly scaffolded by the research team, and thereby increasing practitioner agency and quality improvement across the early childhood setting. If professional autonomy is the driver of reform and change, then we must find ways to nurture strong educational leaders who can think outside the box. Overall, Nuttall and team succeed in arousing learning-rich possibilities for reimagining early childhood leadership in theory and in practice, and thereby making a magnificent contribution to the scholarship of educational leadership.” Professor Manjula Waniganayake PhD, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
Download or read book Leadership in Early Education in Times of Change written by Johanna Heikka and published by Verlag Barbara Budrich. This book was released on 2019-07-29 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The collection brings together the latest work of researchers from Australia, Africa, Asia, and Europe focusing on early childhood leadership matters. It covers different aspects of leadership in early education: professional education and development, identity and leadership strategies as well as governance and leadership under different frame conditions.
Download or read book Confronting the Quiet Crisis written by Council of Chief State School Officers and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 63 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 2009, the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) adopted a new policy statement on early childhood education. Based on the work of a task force of 13 chiefs, "A Quiet Crisis: The Urgent Need to Build Early Childhood Systems and Quality Programs for Children Birth to Age Five" presents a compelling argument for why public education leaders should care about young children well before they enter kindergarten. The statement calls on chief state school officers to work with other state leaders and the early childhood community on a three-fold agenda: building coherent early childhood systems that address standards, assessment, data, professional development, and accountability; improving program quality in all forms of early care and education; and aligning and integrating early childhood and kindergarten through 3rd-grade schooling. This follow-on report, "Confronting the Quiet Crisis: How Chief State School Officers Are Advancing Quality Early Childhood Opportunities," is intended to help chiefs implement the recommendations made in "A Quiet Crisis." It addresses the pragmatic and strategic questions of chiefs who appreciate the contributions of strong early childhood programs, but are more than fully occupied with ambitious and challenging initiatives to improve the performance of elementary and secondary schools. How can they make the case for early childhood investments in today's state budget context? How can they best lead on early childhood education when, in most states, responsibility for managing programs is spread between education, human service, and health agencies, and federally-managed Head Start and Early Head Start programs? This report shows how chiefs in five states led efforts to expand and improve early learning opportunities. It begins with profiles of Nancy Grasmick in Maryland and Sandy Garrett in Oklahoma; both served as chief in their state from 1991 to 2011. Next, the report highlights the experiences of two successive chiefs, William Librera and Lucille Davy in New Jersey. They worked from 2002 to 2010 to implement the New Jersey Supreme Court order (Abbott v Burke) that mandated a new high-quality pre-k program for all low-income 3- and 4-year-olds in 31 school districts. Finally, the report takes an in-depth look at two current chiefs, Deborah Gist appointed as chief in Rhode Island in 2009 and Brenda Cassellius appointed in Minnesota in 2011. Both have made rapid advances in creating interagency structures to coordinate early childhood policy and firmly situate early childhood in their state's overall plan for education reform. A concluding chapter highlights eight key leadership strategies gleaned from these diverse examples, as well as insights from CCSSO Executive Director Gene Wilhoit, based on his work on early childhood issues as a chief in both Arkansas and Kentucky.
Download or read book Great Leaders Equal Great Schools written by Autumn Cyprès and published by IAP. This book was released on 2013-01-01 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The networks of Tennessee politicians, school leaders, and academics are rife with significant contributors to the national fabric of educational reform. This cadre includes Former White House Chief of Staff Howard Baker, United States Senator Bill Frist (currently Chairman of the Tennessee State Collaborative on Reforming Education) former United States Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander (currently United States Senator and Conference Chair of the Republican Party) and current Governor Bill Haslam. This network has deep, current ties to The University of Tennessee, the Knoxville area, and school systems across the state of Tennessee. The Center for Educational Leadership is a highly funded, highly visible model for education reform throughout the state of Tennessee. This 3 book series will serve as a calling card for all activities that The Center for Educational Leadership is involved in around the state of Tennessee and the United States. This includes all school leadership summits for policy makers, practitioners, scholars, and legislators. It represents the shared vision and commitment of educational leaders, politicians, educational reformers, and legislators. This book will be distributed to school leaders, professional development coaches, teacher unions, scholars at several Tennessee institutions of higher education, and members of the Tennessee legislature and Department of Education. The audience for this series is primarily school leaders and scholars who are launching and designing new programs or revising and strengthening existing programs. However, those who are discussing policy at the local, state, and national level would be interested in the information given within these pages as it relates clearly to their work in educational leadership.
Download or read book Handbook of Early Childhood Teacher Education written by Leslie J. Couse and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-07-24 with total page 430 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This handbook synthesizes both contemporary research and best practices in early childhood teacher education, a unique segment of teacher education defined by its focus on child development, the role of the family, and support for all learners. The first volume of its kind, the Handbook of Early Childhood Teacher Education provides comprehensive coverage on key topics in the field, including the history of early childhood teacher education programs, models for preparing early childhood educators, pedagogical approaches to supporting diverse learners, and contemporary influences on this quickly expanding area of study. Appropriate for early childhood teacher educators as well as both pre- and in-service teachers working with children from birth through 8, this handbook articulates the unique features of early childhood teacher education, highlighting the strengths and limitations of current practice as based in empirical research. It concludes by charting future directions for research with an aim to improve the preparation of early childhood educators.
Download or read book Multicultural Principles for Head Start Programs written by and published by . This book was released on 1992 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Promise of Pre K written by National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education. Leadership Symposium and published by National Center for Research o. This book was released on 2009 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: High quality pre-K that really improves children's outcomes; that's the goal early childhood professional will work toward with this groundbreaking text, the first volume in the NEW National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education (NCRECE) series. Combining the most current knowlege of top researchers, policy makers, and federal and state officials, this book examines where pre-K is today and inspires decision-makers with concrete examples fo successful programs. Wotj tjos om=depth examination of the latest research and practice readers will be better prepared to: make a compelling argument for supportign high-quality pre-K; address the complex challenges of expanding pre-K; understand the pros and cons of different types of pre-K programs; and make informed decisions about the most important issues in program development. To find out what's already working in pre-K program development, readers will get an inside look at five successful state-level prgrams in New York, Maryland, Louisiana, Georgia, and North Carolina. throug detailed analyses of each programs characteristics, these extended case examples give decision-makers a template for effective, child-centered early education. An essential resource for policy makers, researchers, and teach educators, this important volume will help early childhood professionals make progress toward their ultimate goal: pre-k that responds to children's changing needs, helps close the achievemetn gap, and ensures school readiness.
Download or read book Principal Leadership written by Elaine L. Wilmore and published by Corwin Press. This book was released on 2002-03-26 with total page 161 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first to make the connection between the new standards and the principal's leadership role in creating and sustaining a school's culture and values, this simple, consistent format includes a standard, followed by the philosophical framework and case studies.
Download or read book Educational Leadership in an Age of Accountability written by Daniel L. Duke and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 2012-02-01 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The insistence by policymakers and politicians that educators be held accountable for student outcomes has resulted in dramatic shifts in the responsibilities of department chairs, principals, and superintendents. Educational Leadership in an Age of Accountability explores these changes in Virginia, following its implementation of an ambitious accountability plan that called for standards of learning, statewide high-stakes tests, standards of accreditation, and annual school performance report cards. This book examines factors such as the fate of students who fail state tests, achievement differences between black and white students, ethical issues surrounding accountability measures, and the increasing politicization of local schooling. Educational Leadership in an Age of Accountability shows that accountability pressure has done more than previous reforms to foster instructional leadership.
