Evaluating Leadership Development in Early Care and Education

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.