This article develops a conceptual framework of the dynamics of trust between parents and professionals in early childhood education and care. In contemporary Western society, the heightened risk awareness with respect to early childhood has led to an increased focus on the collaboration between home and daycare. Mutual trust is a core aspect of…

Although the area of parental involvement in education is well researched, much less is known about how parents and teachers might work together to cultivate desirable character virtues in their children/pupils. This article considers three potential barriers to parents/teachers forming such partnerships: i) differing views on the importance of…

Strong teacher-family partnerships are vital for children's educational success. Educational policies influence how teachers perceive and engage in these significant relationships. Critical policy analysis focuses on the language, and underlying meanings and beliefs that reify certain understandings and positions in policy. We trace changes in…

This study investigates how moral virtues create purpose for ethical leadership. Four exemplary principals, two from Estonia and two from Finland, were interviewed to study their perceptions of critical incidents in their work and how moral virtues are manifest in their reflections. The results of qualitative content analysis showed that the…

Parental participation is a fundamental principle of the Danish "folkeskole" (for children aged 6-16), yet this article explores how too much parental cooperation influences the relationship of teachers to their professional responsibility. The majority of research on parent-teacher cooperation has focused on parents' opportunities to…

The early childhood sector has in recent times engaged in processes of professionalisation. The expectations associated with engagement in professional relationships is one element of such processes. Another element is an expectation of ethical practice. The paper considers how particular representations of relationships and representations of…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the democratic nature of collaboration and related principal influences in one successful Southern Arizona elementary school in a changing demographic and border context in the US Southwest and where the principal did not share the same ethnic identity/cultural background.…

There are some speculations why students of all age groups and achievement levels cheat. One line of speculation is that dishonesty in school merely reflects the broader erosion of ethical behavior which has become commonplace in societies that tend to support self-centeredness over concern for others. Another is that concern about high-stakes…

A teacher working in a school with an open-door policy discusses some difficulties with this arrangement. She had trouble finding a private place, including the staff room, to talk intimately with other teachers, had to build her schedule around parent helpers, and noted some unethical treatment of children. Parent involvement is no elixir. The…

Presents a hypothetical dilemma illustrating the need for parent empowerment in early childhood education for use in applying the National Association for the Education of Young Children's Code of Ethics. Considers including parents in important decisions, honoring responsibilities to parents, and implementing the spirit of the code. Discusses…

Reports on the views of 18 educational leaders regarding their vision on the future of education in an information age. Topics include people's diverse needs; relationships between morality, ethics, values, and technology; leadership; parental involvement; online courses from multiple higher education institutions; teachers' role; technology…

These two volumes constitute a set of modules for an individualized, competency-based training program intended to help the user acquire the skills and knowledge needed to provide a high-quality child care program for school-age children. The modules are intended for use by those just entering school-age care and by those who have been involved in…