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A tale of two pre-k leaders: How state policies for center directors and principals leading pre-k programs differ, and why they shouldn't

Description:
In order to understand these differences, New America conducted a scan of state policies on leader preparation requirements, licensure, professional learning, and compensation to shed light on the current expectations for center directors and principals, identify areas for improvement in state policy, and highlight states that are leading on leaders. We found that requirements are not only inconsistent across states, but also that disparate requirements for center directors and principals lead to different challenges for each. Research shows that principals too often come into their jobs without a strong understanding of how young children learn, and center directors tend to have limited training in instructional leadership. State policies are doing little to address this. Despite the similarities in their jobs, center directors are held to much lower standards and given less support than elementary school principals. This report explains our methodology, discusses each of the indicators collected, reports findings, and provides recommendations for steps states can take to better support early childhood education leaders. In this report, we define pre-K as any early care and education program serving three- and four-year- olds, whether publicly or privately funded, whether located in public schools or community-based settings. (author abstract)
Resource Type:
Reports & Papers
Author(s):
Publisher(s):
Country:
United States
State(s)/Territories/Tribal Nation(s):
Alabama; Alaska; Arizona; Arkansas; California; Colorado; Connecticut; Delaware; District of Columbia; Florida; Georgia; Hawaii; Idaho; Illinois; Indiana; Iowa; Kansas; Kentucky; Louisiana; Maine; Maryland; Massachusetts; Michigan; Minnesota; Mississippi; Missouri; Montana; Nebraska; Nevada; New Hampshire; New Jersey; New Mexico; New York; North Carolina; North Dakota; Ohio; Oklahoma; Oregon; Pennsylvania; Rhode Island; South Carolina; South Dakota; Tennessee; Texas; Utah; Vermont; Virginia; Washington; West Virginia; Wisconsin; Wyoming

Related resources include summaries, versions, measures (instruments), or other resources in which the current document plays a part. Research products funded by the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation are related to their project records.

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