[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-587246-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":81,"doc-detail-587246-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","early-childhood-research-brief-opre-brief-2024-346","Early Childhood Research Brief - OPRE Brief #2024-346","","Centers-based early care and education (ECE) depends on effective leadership, yet research has limited insight into who participates in leadership, which actions leaders take, and how leadership affects staff and center quality as well as child and family outcomes. The ExCELS study team developed and refined a theory of change grounded in ECE literature, illustrating distributed leadership by center managers and teaching staff. Using data from 110 ECE centers, ExCELS developed a leadership measure and tested parts of the theory, supporting leadership measurement and its expected links to positive outcomes.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & Report",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/early-childhood-research-brief-opre-brief-2024-346/587246/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/early-childhood-research-brief-opre-brief-2024-346/587246.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"วิน","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-30","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",6,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What problem does the brief address about ECE leadership?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"The brief notes that little is known about who participates in leadership in center-based ECE, what leaders do, and how leadership influences staff and center outcomes for children and families.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"What is the ExCELS theory of change focused on?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"It describes what can influence ECE leadership and how distributed leadership can influence staff, center quality, and child and family outcomes.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"How does ExCELS define ECE leadership for measurement?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"The measure reflects who participates in decision-making, change, and improvement; the values and beliefs about ECE held by center staff; and the actions they take as leaders.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},587246,1792191612,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,96,101,105,110,114,119,122,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":93,"show_sort_weight":94,"slug":95},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":97,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":98,"show_sort_weight":99,"slug":100},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":55,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":102,"show_sort_weight":103,"slug":104},"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":106,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":107,"show_sort_weight":108,"slug":109},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":111,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},8,30,"research-report",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":121},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":123,"slug":125},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":131},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":111,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145,"preview_page_count":4},2336475104736,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/22000c4c5e0e5b17e70?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1786591360781797222","Early Childhood Research Brief  \nKatie Gonzalez, Gretchen Kirby, Lizabeth Malone, Anne Douglass, and Yange Xue  \nTesting a Theory of Change for Leadership in Center-Based Early Care and Education Settings  \nOPRE Brief \\#2024-346  \nIn center-based early care and education (ECE) settings, effective leadership can support positive outcomes for staff, center quality, children, and families. We define center-based ECE settings as those that serve children birth through 5 who are not yet in kindergarten. As important as leadership is, little is known about who participates in leadership in centerbased ECE settings, what actions people take as leaders, and how leadership influences staff and center outcomes.  \nThe Early Care and Education Leadership Study, or ExCELS, study team created a theory of change about what can influence ECE leadership and what ECE leadership can influence. This theory of change grew from the research literature in ECE and related fields. It was refined by analysis completed during the course of the study. The ExCELS theory of change illustrateshow the leadership of center managers and teaching staff together—that is, distributed leadership—can help achieve positive outcomes for staff, center quality, children, and families.  \nUsing data collected from 110 ECE centers, the ExCELS team developed a measure of ECE leadership and conducted analyses to test parts of the study’s theory of change. The ExCELS measure of leadership reflects the people who participate in decision-making, change, and improvement, the values and beliefs about ECE they have, and the actions they take as leaders. This brief describes the support for measuring leadership in this way. It also showshow leadership can help produce good outcomes in the center. Box 1 includes definitions of key terms we use in this brief. Box 2 describes the leadership elements we measure in ExCELS.  \nBox 1. How we define key terms in this brief  \n• Distributed leadership. When center managers, teaching staff, and families are all involved in decisionmaking, change, and improvement.  \n• Relational coordination. How center managers, teaching staff, and families develop shared goals, shared knowledge, mutual respect, and high-quality communication together.  \n• Primary site leader. The person responsible for oversight and management of day-to-day operations of an ECE center.  \n• Center managers. A center director or site leader (responsible for day-to-day operations) and other people who oversee center operations, the care and education program, center finances, and other areas.  \n• Teaching staff. Lead, head, or co-teachers and assistant teachers who provide care and education to children in ECE center classrooms.  \nBox 2. Three elements of ECE leadership  \nWho leaders are in center-based ECE settings. Includes (a) center managers, and (b) other people (such as teaching staff and families) who participate in decision-making and influence change and improvement. The literature suggests that when teaching staff and families participate in decision-making, change, and improvement along with center managers (defined as distributed leadership), it can lead to good outcomes. For this reason, who participates in leadership—as reflected by the contribution of teaching staff and families to decisionmaking and their influence on change and improvement—is the focus of the ExCELS measure.  \nWhat center staff bring to leadership. The values and beliefs about ECE that center staff (center managers and teaching staff) have.  \nWhat center staff do as leaders. The actions center managers and teaching staff take to support quality and positive outcomes for staff, families, and children. This includes strengthening the care and education program and instructional practice and creating an environment that encourages positive communication and fosters respect among all staff, families, and children. For center managers, the actions also include developing a vision, setting goals, and","cbCaisrWYFo1DrJ4","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaisrWYFo1DrJ4","pdf",947064,14,"English","# Testing a Theory of Change for Leadership in Center-Based Early Care and Education Settings\n## ExCELS theory of change\n## How we define key terms in this brief\n## Three elements of ECE leadership\n## How we tested the ExCELS theory of change","[{\"question\":\"What problem does the brief address about ECE leadership?\",\"answer\":\"The brief notes that little is known about who participates in leadership in center-based ECE, what leaders do, and how leadership influences staff and center outcomes for children and families.\"},{\"question\":\"What is the ExCELS theory of change focused on?\",\"answer\":\"It describes what can influence ECE leadership and how distributed leadership can influence staff, center quality, and child and family outcomes.\"},{\"question\":\"How does ExCELS define ECE leadership for measurement?\",\"answer\":\"The measure reflects who participates in decision-making, change, and improvement; the values and beliefs about ECE held by center staff; and the actions they take as leaders.\"}]","Early Childhood Research Brief - OPRE Brief #2024-346 | PDF",1792061182,35]