Evaluating Leadership Development in Early Care and Education
Evidence | Publications

Evaluating Leadership Development in Early Care and Education

OPRE Report #2022-141
Published: Aug 31, 2022
Publisher: Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Human Services Early Childhood Professional Development Federal State and Local
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Associated Project

Early Care and Education Leadership Study (ExCELS)

Time frame: 2018-2023

Prepared for:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation

Clients
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Authors

Anne Douglass

Gretchen Kirby

Key Findings
  • Evidence about leadership development in early care and education (ECE) is not yet widely available or accessible.
  • The field needs a deeper understanding about what effective leadership looks like, how to develop and measure it, and what outcomes it can produce.
  • Descriptive studies of seven leadership development initiatives suggest that continued use and evaluation can increase our understanding of the structures and supports that are needed to develop ECE leaders. All seven initiatives have a primary focus on professional learning of current leaders— administrators or teaching staff—often through training workshops, coaching, mentoring, peer learning opportunities, or similar kinds of programs. A new measure of ECE leadership could be a useful tool in evaluating leadership development.

Leadership is widely recognized as a key driver of organizational performance and quality outcomes, making it an essential com­ponent of a field’s infrastructure. The early care and education (ECE) field is still in the early stages of build­ing the infrastructure it needs to attract, support, and sustain strong leadership. Leadership is not limited to those with a formal leadership position or job title—any staff who influence positive change or contribute to decision making can be leaders. Leadership development can influence who engages in leadership; the knowledge, skills, and mindset they bring to it; and the practices they implement to achieve positive outcomes. The ECE sector has historically lacked the dedicated and sustained funding sources and infrastructure necessary to provide broad, consistent access to leadership development.

This brief presents the findings from a review of research on ECE leadership development initiatives from the Early Care and Education Leadership Study (ExCELS) that focuses on leadership in center-based ECE settings. It examines seven ECE leadership devel­opment initiatives that have been the focus of one or more evaluations, describes the features and intended outcomes of each initiative, and considers how they might continue to be implemented and evaluated to further strengthen ECE leadership development.

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