Michael Little, Tim Drake, Lora Cohen-Vogel, Austin Gragson, Victor Cadilla
{"title":"Principal Leadership of Pre-K Programs in Elementary Schools: Evidence from North Carolina","authors":"Michael Little, Tim Drake, Lora Cohen-Vogel, Austin Gragson, Victor Cadilla","doi":"10.1177/08959048241271365","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K) programs are becoming increasingly common in elementary schools across the United States—in fact, a recent analysis of federal data revealed that 57% of public schools have a Pre-K grade. Despite the prevalence of Pre-K programs in schools, principals—known to be among the most important factors in school success—often lack the knowledge and professional supports to effectively lead Pre-K programs. In this study, guided by sensemaking theory, we work to advance knowledge on Pre-K principal leadership through a sequential mixed-methods analysis of elementary school principals in the state of North Carolina. Our study includes a statewide survey of all lead and assistant principals in the state ( N = 520) as well as follow-up interviews with 27 of the surveyed principals. Our findings reveal that while they report strong conceptual support for the Pre-K programs in their schools, principals demonstrate limited engagement with them. We also find that principal background and preparation in early education and the proportion of students from a Pre-K program that ultimately enroll in the school for kindergarten are important factors that help explain variation in principal orientations to Pre-K leadership.","PeriodicalId":47728,"journal":{"name":"Educational Policy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.6000,"publicationDate":"2024-09-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Educational Policy","FirstCategoryId":"95","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/08959048241271365","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K) programs are becoming increasingly common in elementary schools across the United States—in fact, a recent analysis of federal data revealed that 57% of public schools have a Pre-K grade. Despite the prevalence of Pre-K programs in schools, principals—known to be among the most important factors in school success—often lack the knowledge and professional supports to effectively lead Pre-K programs. In this study, guided by sensemaking theory, we work to advance knowledge on Pre-K principal leadership through a sequential mixed-methods analysis of elementary school principals in the state of North Carolina. Our study includes a statewide survey of all lead and assistant principals in the state ( N = 520) as well as follow-up interviews with 27 of the surveyed principals. Our findings reveal that while they report strong conceptual support for the Pre-K programs in their schools, principals demonstrate limited engagement with them. We also find that principal background and preparation in early education and the proportion of students from a Pre-K program that ultimately enroll in the school for kindergarten are important factors that help explain variation in principal orientations to Pre-K leadership.
期刊介绍:
Educational Policy provides an interdisciplinary forum for improving education in primary and secondary schools, as well as in high education and non school settings. Educational Policy blends the best of educational research with the world of practice, making it valuable resource for educators, policy makers, administrators, researchers, teachers, and graduate students. Educational Policy is concerned with the practical consequences of policy decisions and alternatives. It examines the relationship between educational policy and educational practice, and sheds new light on important debates and controversies within the field. You"ll find that Educational Policy is an insightful compilation of ideas, strategies, and analyses for improving our educational systems.