Preparing School Leaders for Young Learners in the United States

Preparing school leaders for young learners 37 Preparing School Leaders for Young Learners in the United States Maria Boeke Mongillo Central Connecticut State University Abstract In the United States there has been a recent movement to expand access to preschool for children aged 3 to 4 through “universal pre-k” in states that fund programs for all age-eligible students. This has caused an increasing number of preschool programs to be housed in public schools and led by principals who often have little or no experience or training in early childhood. At the same time, the Global Education Reform Movement (GERM) is taking hold and pressuring schools to utilize educational methods that are opposed to best practices in early childhood education. In response to current research about teaching and learning and challenges facing schools, the Professional Standards for Educational Leadership 2015 (PSEL 2015) were created to influence how leaders are prepared, hired, evaluated, and supported in their work. This article brings together these three current forces in public education in the US, and describes how they complement and conflict with each other. The underlying premise of this work is (a) to meet the PSEL 2015, leaders will need a greater understanding of early childhood education; (b) by understanding early childhood education, leaders will have an expanded framework from which to make decisions about how to address GERM; and (c) leaders need to find appropriate ways to respond to GERM in order to meet the PSEL 2015. Thus, developing a force of school leaders who understand and support best practices in ECE may ultimately improve learning outcomes for all students. Keywords preschool education, leadership, global education reform movement, early childhood education Introduction In the United States, preschool programs for transportation. Though the National Association children aged 3 and 4 vary significantly. for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Children may attend programs housed in public offers accreditation of preschool programs and schools, in private or community centers, or in learning standards for infants, toddlers, and private homes. Some children may not go to preschoolers, and the individual states have preschool at all, entering kindergarten at age 5 their own learning standards and regulations for or first grade at age 6 with no formal schooling early childhood programs, in practice preschool experience. The decision to enroll children in a programs vary widely in terms of instruction, preschool program is made by parents and ____________________________________ Maria Boeke Mongillo, Department of Educational guardians, and often depends on complex Leadership, Policy, and Instructional Technology. Central factors such as accessibility, cost, program Connecticut State University, 1615 Stanley Street structure (e.g., full or half day), location, and New Britain, CT 06050 Email: [email protected] _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Global Education Review is a publication of The School of Education at Mercy College, New York. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License, permitting all non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Citation: Mongillo, Maria B. (2017). Preparing school leaders for young learners in the United States. Global Education Review, 4 (3). 37-55. 38 Global Education Review 4(3) continues to demonstrate its importance on later distinctive developmental period, and preparation and certification of staff, and developmentally appropriate practices for resources. designing curriculum, instruction, and There has been a recent movement in the US to assessment (Goncu et al., 2014). Principals who expand preschool programs as research learning are charged with leading preschool programs outcomes for students. As of the 2016-17 fiscal indicate they need more training in areas of ECE year, 44 states provided some level of state curriculum and the developmental milestones of funding for preschool programs and there has young children, appropriate behavioral been a 47 percent increase in state pre-k funding expectations and disciplinary practices for over the last five years (Diffley, Parker, & preschoolers, and in how to provide Atchison, 2017). Many states are considering instructional supervision to their ECE staff “universal pre-k,” a model where states support (Bish, Shore, & Shue, 2011; Shore, Shue, & financing of preschool for all age-eligible Lambert, 2010). Additionally, principals express children regardless of a child’s ability level or concerns about the particular licensing and family income (Colker, 2008), though to date regulations that pertain to younger students, as only three states have fully espoused this model well as how to properly interact with the many (Mead, 2015). As this increase in early learning outside agencies that support families and programs occurs, more preschool programs are children (Bish, Shore, & Shue, 2011; Shore, being housed in public schools and led by public Shue, & Lambert, 2010). Though states do school leaders (Loewenberg, 2016; Shore, Shue, require professional learning experiences for & Lambert, 2010; Szekely, 2013). school leaders, they rarely focus on helping Public school principals, however, are principals to develop the knowledge and skills unlikely to have had any training or experiences needed to strengthen their ability to lead ECE with early childhood programs (Bish, Shore, & programs (Lieberman, 2017). Shue, 2011; Goncu, Main, Perone, & Tozer, 2014; While the US is considering expansion of Lieberman, 2016; Mead, 2011; Shore, Shue, & preschool access, the global education reform Lambert, 2010). Though state principal movement (GERM) is taking greater hold and licensure standards require a higher level of shifting work in schools to learning focused on education and both teaching and clinical basics, prescription, standardized testing, and experience, the vast majority of school test-based accountability (Sahlberg, 2012). leadership preparation programs, state licensure Sahlberg (2011) described six principles of exams, and certification prerequisites do not GERM: standardization in and of education, mandate familiarity with early childhood topics increased focus on literacy and numeracy, (Clarke Brown, Squires, Connors-Tadros, & teaching for predetermined results, transfer of Horowitz, 2014; Lieberman, 2017). innovation from corporations to education, test- Novice principals suggest knowledge and based accountability policies, and increased skills related to human relations, personnel, governmental control of schooling. These educational leadership, and curriculum as most principles conflict with creating well-rounded important for their work in schools (Petzko, citizens and sustaining school improvement 2008), and these areas may need special (Robertson, 2015). consideration for ECE programs (Mead, 2011). Additionally, these practices are opposed Adding a preschool program is more complex to the traditionally holistic, exploratory, and than simply adding one more grade level, as it developmental nature of ECE. Thus the concern requires principals to have an understanding of becomes the impact that GERM will have on teachers with different certifications, a pre-k programs if school leaders do not Preparing school leaders for young learners 39 understand the unique learning needs of early preparation programs and professional learning childhood students. Public educational policy for practicing school administrators in the US. has a significant influence on the practices of The PSEL 2015 were created to respond to principals (Provost, Boscardin, & Wells, 2010), current research regarding improving student and leaders will have to address GERM-related learning and challenges facing education such as policies in their schools. Without familiarity with globalization and decreasing school budgets. By ECE principles and practices, principals may providing research-based guidelines, the PSEL rely on their knowledge of, and experiences with, 2015 hope to influence how leaders are upper grades as they implement GERM-based prepared, hired, evaluated, and supported in policies (Goncu et al., 2014). Given the current their work. social and political climate in the US, leaders The PSEL 2015 are organized around ten may feel compelled to push students to engage interconnected domains that reflect research- with activities and topics that are not and practice-based qualities and values that developmentally appropriate for their learning impact student learning. The standards are as needs, may pressure teachers to structure their follows: classrooms, instruction, and assessment in ways 1. Mission, Vision, and Core Values that contradict best practices for ECE (Mead, 2. Ethics and Professional Norms 2011), or focus on practices to improve 3. Equity and Cultural Responsiveness standardized test scores (Goncu et al., 2014). 4. Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment This gap in school leader knowledge also 5. Community of Care and Support for needs to be addressed if leaders are to meet the Students Professional Standards for Educational Leaders 6. Professional Capacity of School Personnel (National Policy Board for Educational 7. Professional Community for Teachers and Administration, 2015), a set of national

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