RAPID CHANGES IN AUSTRALIAN education have intensified the role of early childhood leaders and led to unprecedented challenges. The Australian Curriculum (ACARA, 2011), mandated Australian National Quality Framework (NQF) for Early Childhood Education & Care (DEEWR, 2010b) and the National Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) (DEEWR, 2009) have heightened the need for leaders to guide and move the profession forward. Leaders need to build professional knowledge, pedagogical capacity and infrastructure in the early childhood education and care (ECEC) workforce in order to deliver reforms and achieve high-quality outcomes for children. Yet research on early childhood leadership remains sparse and inadequately theorised, while the voice of the early childhood profession remains marginalised (Woodrow & Busch, 2008). In this paper I draw on my previous research in leadership and change management which investigated principals', early childhood teachers' and teacher-aides' conceptual and behavioural positions on educational changes in work contexts. I present a model of leadership that connects to practice, builds professional capacity and capability, and recognises the importance of relationship building and quality infrastructure. The model calls for robust constructions of leadership and improved professional identity that will reposition the profession so that it keeps pace with the critical needs of early childhood professionals. Within this model, tertiary educational institutions and professional organisations will play their role in guiding the profession forward as new paradigms evolve and federal and state initiatives begin to surface.
Currently in Western Australian schools, the early childhood education profession faces profound change, as a result of changes to classroom combinations. One of these is an innovation called 'P1', which involves grouping pre-primary and year 1 students in the one class. Unlike other composite primary year classes, P1 demands an amalgamation of early childhood and primary curriculum and philosophy. To date, the basis on which P1 curriculum is to be built has yet to be established. No formal process been articulated for dealing with the ideological differences and beliefs that exist in schools with respect to early childhood and primary education. This article draws on a five-year Western Australia (WA) study, which examined teachers' conceptual and behavioural positions toward P1. The findings indicated a need for leadership, specialised staff, resolution of philosophical differences, curriculum guidelines, quality support structures and the enhancement of school and community relationships. There were also concerns that government and curriculum expertise had not kept pace with the needs of staff.
The incorporation of pre-primary centres into Western Australian government primary schools has shifted the responsibility for leadership from the kindergarten director to the primary school principal. Concerns have been raised that principals who are responsible for appraisal of pre-primary teachers are providing inadequate educational leadership to these teachers because of their lack of theoretical and practical background in early childhood. They have not been provided with professional development to adequately support them in this role. However, to date, it seems that principals have not been asked for their views about their capacities concerning the pre-primary sector. For these reasons this study investigated the question: How do primary school principals perceive they fulfil their administrative, managerial and educational roles in respect to pre-primary centres? The majority of principals in the district surveyed indicated that they considered administration/management to be their most important role in relation to pre-primary education. A greater number of principals indicated inadequate performance in dealing with educational issues. The majority of principals said the system should require pre-primary training for principals, provide each school with materials that outline developmentally appropriate practices; and provide early childhood professional development courses for principals.
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