Conceptions of early childhood leadership: driving new professionalism?

Abstract

This study reports the understandings of leadership held by 351 Victorian early childhood leaders (ECLs). Internationally, ECLs are expected to drive quality improvement through mentoring and modelling: a concept associated with distributive leadership. However, ECLs often move into leadership positions by accident and are ill-prepared for their role. Complicating their difficulties are extant perceptions of leadership: many follow models of leadership that prevent them from re-conceptualizing leadership in a new, socially constructed form. This impacts significantly on their ability to influence quality improvement. In this study, ECLs saw relational aspects of their role as particularly important, and were much less concerned with critiquing current quality praxis. They saw their role as important in supporting the development of high-quality practice identified in the National Quality Standards. The paper contends that ECLs play an important role in developing the profession’s own understandings of quality, and of leadership itself; thus, their lack of engagement in this debate is somewhat concerning. If EC is to continue to evolve as a profession internationally, we need ECLs who excel in quality improvement at the service level, and who are willing to advocate for the ongoing development of professional understandings of quality.

Notes

1. Victoria is a state of Australia. In this context, the word ‘Victorian’ refers to those who live in Victoria.

2. When ‘=’ is used in this context it means that the ranking is shared with another item—i.e. 7th⁼ means that there were two items that received the same ranking of 7.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Margaret Sims

Margaret Sims is professor of Early Childhood at University of New England, Elm Avenue, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia. Email: [email protected]. Her research focuses around quality in community-based services for young children and their families, diversity and professionalization. She teaches at both graduate and undergraduate level in early childhood and research and supervises postgraduate students.

Rhonda Forrest

Dr Rhonda Forrest lectures in Early Childhood at University of New England, Elm Avenue, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia. Email: [email protected]. Her teaching and research focus around leadership, and in particular, leadership as it operates in early childhood. She teaches at both graduate and undergraduate level in early childhood and supervises postgraduate students.

Anthony Semann

Mr Anthony Semann is one of the directors and founders at Semann & Slattery, PO Box 202, Newtown, NSW 2042, Australia. Email: [email protected]. For the past 15 years he has worked as a researcher, consultant and manager with a broad range of government, non-government and private organizations. He holds expert knowledge in both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. He is currently completing PhD at Macquarie University. His PhD is a study of the nexus between leadership and courage.

Colin Slattery

Colin Slattery is a director and founder of Semann & Slattery, PO Box 202, Newtown, NSW 2042, Australia. Email: [email protected]. He has held a range of senior executive positions with government agencies, the private sector and non-government organizations for 15 years. For the last 13 years, he has been highly sought after as a change facilitator and coach for individuals and organizations.