What Shapes Principals’ Early Education Leadership Practices? A Mixed-Methods Study of North Carolina School Leaders

ABSTRACTPrincipals can play an important role in the effectiveness of early education programs and early grade levels in their school. The purpose of this study is to describe the relationship between principals’ backgrounds and their self-assessed early education leadership practices. Using a mixed-methods approach that draws on surveys and interviews from school leaders in North Carolina, we found that principals often lacked experience or training in early education. We also identified factors (e.g., training in early education) that predicted higher self-assessed early education leadership practices. We conclude by discussing the implication of these findings for research, policy, and practice. Disclosure StatementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Notes1. Throughout this paper, we use the term “early education leadership” to refer to educational leadership focused on Pre-K and the early elementary grades K through 3.Additional informationFundingThis work was supported by the Belk Foundation.