This qualitative phenomenological study utilized structured interviews with 23 preschool administrators to explore their beliefs about preschool inclusion and needed resources for providing high-quality preschool inclusion. Themes emerged regarding administrators' beliefs about inclusion, including divergent understandings of inclusion as…

Teachers' professional learning is closely connected to and dependent on different leading practices. Teachers professional learning is regarded as a key factor in successful school development, and development leaders at different levels are assigned to provide for and support such learning. However, the connection between leading and learning…

As state-funded Pre-K programs in elementary schools continue to grow, elementary principals are increasingly responsible for supporting, supervising, and leading these programs. Therefore, examining elementary principals' early childhood leadership competencies and the factors influencing them may help understand and improve their experiences as…

Today, technology plays a crucial role in the daily lives of young children, even in their pre-kindergarten education. In an explanatory sequential mixed methods study, I addressed the following guiding question: "What are urban pre-kindergarten directors' self-reported behaviors associated with the International Society for Technology in…

Administrators play a key role in establishing learning structures that impact student learning from the earliest developmental stages. Throughout the northeastern region of the United States, elementary schools continuously assess the quality of student-teacher interactions to evaluate students' developmental progress. The problem identified in…

It is not enough to solve ecological problems only with the agreements put into effect by the states. It is also essential that the citizens adopt the said agreement articles. At this point, the necessity of providing education to individuals of all ages comes into play. For this reason, this study examined the environmental sustainability…

In a new context of management and teaching action, framed by the organisation of the school into educational teams, middle leaders can play a key role in promoting learning communities, teacher development and improving teaching. Therefore, it seems relevant to understand the practices of these leaders that make their leadership effective. To…

District "equity director" (ED) roles have grown rapidly over the past decade. Drawing on interviews and surveys with over 70 EDs across nearly 30 states, this study documents dramatic ED role growth from 2018 to 2022 specifically and examines why, according to EDs, such roles were established locally. Findings, drawing on scholarship on…

In an increasingly individualistic society in which the economic forecast has been uncertain for the past several years, independent schools have struggled to understand donors' motivations for giving. In addition, schools continually examine the way their annual giving campaigns articulate how donors' gifts align with the schools' missions and…

This study examines how policy directives and recommendations implemented during a massive universal Pre-Kindergarten expansion in New York City has impacted teachers' professional identity. We adapted the critical ecologies of the early childhood profession by Dalli et al. (Early childhood grows up: Towards a critical ecology of the profession.…

Purpose: Recently, a confluence of factors has focused elementary school leaders on early education. One factor is that nearly 60 percent of all public elementary schools in the U.S. today have a Pre-K program in the building. Yet, prior research reveals that leaders are often not prepared to effectively lead early education programs. This study…

Crises are inevitable and can have a direct or indirect impact on the social-emotional well-being of all involved. The COVID-19 pandemic has proven itself to be a crisis that resulted in both direct and secondary trauma. It had an effect not only on staff and students but also on school leaders, who were significantly affected either by the…

Due to educational policy, data use in schools is a widespread method of school improvement, yet results remain inconsistent. Across the literature, the school leader is a key determinant of the effectiveness of data use. This study sought to shed light on the role of the school leader in data use through a mixed methods case study. The study…

Purpose: This study sought to understand PK-12 district-level equity directors' efforts to improve experiences of students of color and outcomes in US districts. Research Methods: We interviewed 13 practicing equity directors and analyzed artifacts such as meeting minutes, equity policies, equity mission statements, job descriptions, and…

Hiring and sustaining qualified executive leaders at schools and programs for the Deaf continue to be challenging for board members and communities. More information is needed to understand issues contributing to the retention and recruitment of these executive leaders. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand factors that…