Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/distributed-leadership-something-new-or-something-borrowed/5019308/
Distributed leadership is a hot topic in the educational leadership world. Much has been written about taking a distributed approach to leadership in K-12 schools, but does this approach add value to our understanding of effective leadership in early childhood programs? If so, are there lessons to be learned from the extensive research on distributed leadership that can help program administrators improve their leadership practice in early childhood settings, both in centers and in schools? The short answer is yes and yes.I have been immersed in the practice, research, and teaching of early childhood leadership for more than 20 years. I have been a director of an NAEYC-accredited early childhood center. I now teach and support directors across the country through my work at the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership, at National-Louis University. Over the past six years I have conducted training on the Program Administration Scale, a research-based tool for measuring and improving early childhood leadership and management practices in 25 states, as well as in Canada and Singapore. One thing I know for certain �" the need for effective early childhood leadership has never been greater than in this time of global economic crisis, demand for standards-based ...