Effective and Caring Leadership in the Early Years

Iram Siraj, Elaine Hallet

• Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781446292693
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Leadership in Education

This book introduces an intriguing juxtaposition of "caring" alongside "effective", and it is a thought-provoking book. Including examples of early years leaders on their own reflective learning journeys, it provides a rich source of ideas for relational leadership that are firmly based in research and professional experience.?
- Professor Margaret Carr, University of Waikato, New Zealand Effective and caring leadership is an essential part of raising standards and increasing the quality of learning in early childhood settings. This book explains leadership practices thatcan make a positive difference to the provision offered and improve outcomes for both children and families. With theoretical, practical and research-informed perspectives, this book:

• Uses case studies to provide examples of effective leadership
• Integrates education and care with key practices in effective leadership
• Explores directional, collaborative, empowering and pedagogical leadership
• Offers readers opportunity to reflect upon their own leadership practices

This is a key text for anyone studying Early Childhood, existing and aspiring leaders, graduate Early Years Leaders and those training to work in settings, schools and children'sservices. Professor Iram Siraj is Professor of Early Childhood Education at the Instituteof Education, University of London.
Dr. Elaine Hallet is a Lecturer in Early Childhood Education at the Institute of Education, University of London.

Part 1

Leadership in early childhood

Introduction

The two chapters in Part 1 provide a contextual overview of leadership within early childhood and a theoretical base from academic literature and significant research studies. Evidence from literature and research demonstrates the importance of leadership in raising standards of learning and educational outcomes for children. Leadership is a complex phenomenon and the complexity and distinctiveness of leadership within early years contexts is beginning to unravel. Reference to other writers in the field and the authors’ own research forms the discussion about leadership in early childhood in Part 1 and is a contextual base for subsequent chapters in the book.

Leadership in the early years is like a river flowing through an emerging leadership landscape of hills and valleys. The discussion includes national and international perspectives, placing early childhood leadership within a global map of constructs and understanding around the distinctiveness of leadership in the early years. The discussion explores how research has informed and shaped our understanding about early years leaders’ behaviour and practices. Both effective and caring leadership practices are defined and discussed within a contextual framework of the early years sector within Part 1 of the book, forming smaller tributary rivers and streams for further discussion and reflection in Part 2.

1

Leadership in early childhood: the early years context

Chapter overview Leadership in early years settings, schools and children’s centres has been recognized as significant in raising standards and increasing the quality of educational, health and social outcomes for children. Effective and caring leadership is an evolving area of importance in developing quality provision for young children and families. This chapter provides a discussion about the evolving leadership landscape and the distinctiveness of leadership within the early years context. This chapter will: explore the evolving leadership landscape in the early years sector discuss professional learning opportunities for leadership development examine the relationship between leadership and management consider the distinctiveness of leadership in the early years.

The evolving leadership landscape

Leadership is a complex phenomenon with numerous definitions to understand the concept of leadership and being a leader. Terms such as leadership, leading and leaders are often used interchangeably. In essence, leadership is portrayed as a purposeful and positive activity (Fitzgerald and Gunter, 2008). The relationship between effective educational leadership, teacher leadership and school leadership for school improvement and positive educational outcomes for children and young people has been evidenced (Bush et al., 2010). For example, leadership practices that directly linked with and support improved outcomes for students in Queensland, Australia, were described by Lingard et al. (2003) as productive leadership. Starratt (2003) argues that a shift in focus from solo leadership of an organization to a focus on leadership of learning and shared distributed leadership, placing learners at the centre of the organization, links learning, leaders and leadership.

An understanding of leadership within the wider context of early years settings and children’s centres is evolving, as is the impact upon educational, health, social and well-being outcomes for children (Rodd, 2013; Siraj-Blatchford and Manni, 2007; Siraj-Blatchford et al., 2002). The emerging understanding points to leadership being a relational and communal concept where all can be a leader, engage in leadership, benefit from leadership and exercise power and individual agency when leadership is distributed and shared (Fitzgerald and Gunter, 2008). Leadership is transformative and empowering for individuals; Greenleaf (2003: 15) highlights that ‘true leadership emerges from those whose primary motivation is a desire to help others’.

A global understanding of leadership in early childhood and its relationship to professionalism is developing from a ‘ground up’ perspective (Dalli, 2008). The nationally recognized status and pedagogical leadership role of the graduate Early Years Professional (EYP) in England, linked leadership with the professionalization and raising the status of the early years workforce. Duhn (2011: 141) views professionalism and leadership as closely interlinked with the learning self. Ellsworth (2005) theorizes the learning self as movement and experiences, the professional and personal self reshaping each other in an ongoing process of professional ‘knowledge in the making’. Leadership and learning reshapes leadership and is an aspect of professionalism.

Theories of leadership, trait, behavioural, situational and transformational theories have informed understanding of leadership (Whalley, 2011a). There are cultural and contextual aspects that influence leadership style and practices. The International Successful School Principalship Project (ISSPP) (Moos et al., 2008) aimed to identify successful school leadership practices in different geographical locations and with pupils from different socioeconomic backgrounds. The construct of ‘success’ applied to school leadership in the project was contextualized and relational, referring to multiple perspectives within the case study schools. In most schools, the principal set the direction for the school. In some schools, the direction was formulated by the principal while in other schools the direction was the product of dialogue and shared sense and knowledge making.

In the Scandinavian context, democratic principles were applied to school leadership. In Sweden, many schools formed teacher teams and distributed both responsibility and decision-making to them. Principals in Tasmania, Australia, strove for a culture of collegiality and collaboration in which the principals set directions. The Chinese school system has a hierarchy of leaders and has strong top-down communities. Decisions and policy were made at district level and implemented in a top-down way; by managers at lower levels and then in a similar way in Chinese schools. A focus on performance standards in New York state schools in the USA, stimulated collaborative dialogue and shared learning to monitor progress. Leadership was distributed to teacher teams for shared planning and decision-making. In the UK, principals developed vision for improving pupils’ achievement. They set vision and direction for their school and education but also delegated tasks and responsibility for implementing those visions to teachers’ teams.

International developments within early childhood demonstrate the changing nature of early years services in several parts of the world and the evolving nature and understanding of leadership. While there are contextual differences between countries, there is renewed interest in the early years phase of children’s learning and development and the affirmation of the importance of this stage of education as a major factor propelling change in service and provision (Chan and Mellor, 2002).

Leaders often take up leadership roles without training (Aubrey, 2011) and, internationally, qualifications vary. Practitioners undertaking early childhood leadership in Australia, New Zealand and Europe hold different qualifications, including diploma, degree, master’s degree and teaching qualifications. In Australia the majority of practitioners working in early childhood services are qualified teachers (Jonsdottir and Hard, 2009). In New Zealand an integrated service of education and care is delivered in early childhood centres by teachers (Dalli, 2008). Few practitioners have specific qualifications in leadership, although many head teachers in Iceland have a diploma in leadership from a one-year graduate study and some have a master’s degree (Jonsdottir and Hard, 2009). The selection of terms used in early childhood services in Europe, listed in Figure 1.1, shows the range of job titles used to describe the role of practitioners who work with young children from birth to 7 years (Oberhuemer et al., 2010).

At a glance the term ‘leader’ is missing from the plethora of names, although the words pedagogue, teacher, professional are common terminology. The job title names, nursery nurse, teaching assistant, teacher, Early Years Professional and Early Years Practitioner used in England add to confusion about roles and responsibilities for those working in the early years sector. In the Foundations for Quality report about early education and childcare qualifications (DfE, 2012: 46), Nutbrown proposed a new set of job titles for qualified staff within the workforce in England: early years practitioner (level 3), senior early years practitioner (level 4 and above), Early Years Professional (graduate with Early Year Professional Status – EYPS) and Early Years Teacher (graduate with Qualified Teacher Status – QTS). Their pedagogical leadership role identified: early years practitioners leading practice within a room, senior early years practitioners leading practice across a number of rooms, Early Years Professionals (EYPs) leading practice across a setting and qualified Early Years Teachers (EYTs) providing overall pedagogical leadership for a setting, all working directly with children and families. The range of Early Years Practitioners in Nutbrown’s proposal of job roles have leadership responsibility in supporting and supervising unqualified or less qualified staff. In the Truss Report, More Great Childcare (DfE, 2013), the job title ‘early years educator’ is used for practitioners qualified to level 3, and the term ‘Early Years Teacher’ is used for graduate leaders, replacing the proposed titles by Nutbrown. The new job titles change the role emphasis from practice to education.

Figure 1.1 European early childhood job titles

The Effective Pre-school Provision in Education (EPPE) research study in England found higher-quality provision and children’s cognitive outcomes in pre-schools led by staff with graduate degree qualifications. Less qualified staff benefited from working with staff with higher qualifications (Oberhuemer et al., 2010). Research studies in America (Barnett, 2004) concerning the relationship between the qualifications of staff and quality of early years services found that the education levels of staff, together with a specialist professional qualification in Early Childhood Education, predict both the qualities of interactions between teacher and child, and children’s learning and development.

Government reform proposals in England within the Truss Report (DfE, 2013) recognize the contribution of graduate early years leaders who are EYPs in helping to improve the quality of education but whose public status is low. The government wants to introduce more graduates in the early years. Early Years Professionals and EYTs have a pedagogical leadership role. Early Years Teachers will be introduced to build on the EYPS programme, and existing EYPs will be recognized as EYTs, specialists in early childhood development. Early Years Teachers will be seen as equivalent to QTS. As Nutbrown (2013) in her response to the Truss Report argues, this will bring inequality of status and pay for Early Years Teachers with QTS and those without. The introduction of the terms ‘Early Years Educator’ and ‘Early Years Teacher’ in the Truss Report (DfE, 2013) highlights the government’s emphasis on children’s education, learning and graduate pedagogical leadership.

Similarly, Early Years Teaching Centres (EYTC) promote a regional focus on teaching, learning and the leadership for learning. These centres provide effective pedagogical leadership through a combination of training, support and demonstrating outstanding practice. There is evidence to show (Pen Green, 2012) that this model of professional learning through communities of practice is improving children’s outcomes both in the setting and within the EYTC’s region.

Leadership development in the early years

Leadership has been taking place with nursery and infant schools in England for many years by head and deputy head teachers in nursery schools and by teachers in nursery classes and units (Hallet, 2013a). In these contexts, leadership seemed to be the domain of educational institutions such as schools. Leadership was little acknowledged in early years settings where care and education took place, for example, in Sure Start children’s centres and in early years settings in the Private, Voluntary and Independent sector (PVI) such as in playgroups, pre-schools, crèches, full daycare and sessional provision. Many teachers and practitioners, particularly women, who were also leaders, preferred to recognize their teaching role rather than their leadership role of leading people, resources and curriculum (Rodd, 2013). Although leadership in the early years sector was happening, it seems to have gone unrecognized (Bennis and Nanus, 1997) until more recently.

The introduction of leadership programmes for leaders of practice – the Early Years Professional Status training programme, the National Professional Qualification in Integrated Centre Leadership (NPQICL) for integrated centre leaders in children’s centres and the National Professional Qualification for Head Teachers (NPQH) – has provided opportunities for practitioners and teachers to access nationally recognized leadership training through higher education (CWDC, 2008; NC, 2010). One of the main findings from the EPPE project (Sylva et al., 2010) and the associated Researching Effective Pedagogy in the Early Years (REPEY) study (Siraj-Blatchford et al., 2002) was that settings with higher-quality scores were those where staff had higher qualifications (Cottle and Alexander, 2012). The importance of leadership learning throughout a career is recognized for developing leadership sustainability. School systems in ...