In the context of an ongoing policy crisis in relation to the qualifications of the early childhood workforce in England, this paper first rehearses the context and long overdue need for reform before presenting a framework for career structure and professional early childhood education qualifications in England. This framework is designed to…

In comparison to men, the high school principal role in Texas is a position that few women obtain in their educational leadership journey. Even though women are statistically more prominently employed as teachers in K-12 public education in Texas, women are not equally represented in the superintendency. This disparity of representation starts at…

The early childhood education care (ECEC) practitioner landscape is complex and encompasses many roles including center-based and school-based administrative, teaching, and support staff as well as home-based unregulated child care family child care (FCC) providers and home-based regulated (e.g., registered or licensed) FCC providers who…

Next Steps at Vanderbilt, an inclusive postsecondary education program at Vanderbilt University, aims to equip students with skills and experiences to gain competitive employment. Next Steps has two primary goals: (1) Increase opportunities for students to gain targeted skills in career fields of interest; and (2) Create new career development…

The current global focus on expanding access to early childhood education (ECE) is accompanied by calls to professionalize the ECE teaching force. In Tanzania, efforts to improve the quality of teaching and learning at the pre-primary level led to the development of a new pre-primary diploma training program. In this article, I examine this effort…

This study investigated the sense-making process and career decision and development of male pre-school and elementary school teachers in the New England region in the United States through the perspective of Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT). Two research questions guided this study. First, why male teachers decided to join the pre-school and…

Education, either formal or informal, plays an important role to help the masses. As such, educators, especially trainees, are entrusted to teach young generations all important elements, principles, or concepts in a wide range of disciplines. Surely, such an undertaking, especially for early childhood care and education, requires quality…

Two-generation human capital programs seek to promote the education of parents and children simultaneously. This study examines relations between family participation in Career"Advance," which recruits parents of Head Start children into a workforce training program, and children's Head Start attendance. The sample included 293 children…

This qualitative research utilized the descriptive case study approach to examine the lived experiences of twelve 1.5- or 2.0-generation Hmong American women who occupy leadership positions in public schools (K-12) and colleges (community colleges, state colleges, and universities) in California. It delved into their gendered, racial,…

Research has established the vital role administrators play in the success and sustainability of high-quality early childhood care and education (ECEC) programs. However, many center-based program administrators assume their leadership roles by being promoted from a teaching position. Consequently, while they may assume their administrative role…

This article presents the main findings of a mixed-method study that explored ECEC teachers' views on the recently enacted STPD for Teacher Professional Development (STPD) in Chile. Relying on a mixed-method design, we gathered data from individual and group interviews and an online survey conducted with 268 ECEC teachers. Drawn from both "a…

Purpose: This paper aims to provide a critical examination of the career trajectories of Black male educators through the discussion of key issues relevant to the professional development and advancement of this population. Design/methodology/approach: The authors approach this paper through the examination of literature related to Black male…

High-quality, stable early care and education can have long-lasting benefits for both children and society. The COVID-19 pandemic has reaffirmed the importance of the role early educators play as an essential source of support that anchors communities. It also has exposed the underlying fragility and economic vulnerability of the early care and…

Research suggests that many early childhood program administrators enter into leadership roles by being promoted from teaching positions and few have prior education, training, or experience specific to leadership or management (Catron & Groves, 1999; Billman, 1995; Bloom & Rafanello, 1994). Many directors of early care and education…

Early childhood educators have a unique opportunity to foster the development of cognitive, behavioral, and social skills. But the work is not easy. Effective educators need to master a complex set of skills, which requires high-quality educational and training programs rooted in child development and practicums in early childhood classrooms led…