Educational Leader Resource - Part One - The role of an educational leader

Sep 18, 2026

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Resource for educational leaders focused on expectations, requirements, and the practical application of educational leadership in continuous improvement. Covers national regulations and the National Quality Standard, leading others and building professional relationships, observing practice, mentoring, professional learning, and family communication. Includes an Educational Leadership Model domain-by-domain (knowledge, professionalism, relationships, reflection) and guidance for using reflection, generative listening, and powerful questions, plus a path forward with goals, experimentation, and research involvement.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages153

Reading Time6 h 26 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Skills

Part One: The role of an educational leader

Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership

Part Three: Where to next?

References and further reading

THE EDUCATIONAL LEADER RESOURCE © 2019 Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority Copyright in this resource (including, without limitation, text, images, logos, icons, information, data, documents, pages and images) (“the material”) is owned or licensed by us. Copyright in material provided by Commonwealth, State or Territory agencies, private individuals or organisations may belong to those agencies, individuals or organisations and be licensed to us. Edited and designed by Early Childhood Australia Studio. Subject to any contrary statement on relevant material, you may use any of the material in this resource for your personal and non-commercial use or use on behalf of your organisation for non-commercial purposes, provided that an appropriate acknowledgement is made (including by retaining this notice where the whole or any part is reproduced or used without material alteration), and the material is not subjected to derogatory treatment. Apart from anyother use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth), all other rights are reserved. Requests and enquiries concerning further authorisation should be addressed to: The Copyright Officer ACECQA PO Box A292 SYDNEY NSW 2000 Or emailed [to copyright@acecqa.gov.au](to copyright@acecqa.gov.au). 2 CONTENTS Introduction 5 Skills 66 | Part One: The role of an educational leader: | | | --- | --- | | Expectations and requirements | 7 | | A vision for the role of the educational leader | 8 | | Research and the role of educational leadership | 8 | | The role of the educational leader in continuous improvement | 11 | | The educational leader: National Regulations and the National Quality Standard | 13 | | Undertaking the role: The educational leader’s perspective | 16 | | Being a leader | 17 | | Thinking of yourself as a leader | 18 | | Being a role model | 19 | | Organising the role | 19 | | Linking with networks | 21 | | Leading others | 22 | | Building relationships with colleagues | 22 | | Communicating with staff | 24 | | Meeting with the team | 26 | | Responding to challenging people | 27 | | Mentoring | 29 | | Observing practice | 30 | | Supporting professional learning | 32 | | Communicating with families | 33 | | Leading practice | 34 | | Using the approved frameworks | 34 | | Fostering reflection | 38 | | Supporting the assessment and planning cycle | 41 | | Establishing systems | 46 | | Community of Practice | 47 | | Identifying and leading practice that exceeds the NQS | 48 | | Using the Exceeding NQS themes for improvement | 48 | | Leading change | 50 | | Understanding the process of change | 50 | | Undertaking action research | 52 | | Supporting the role: The approved provider’s perspective | 57 | | The benefit of educational leadership to service operations | 58 | | Appointing an educational leader | 60 | | What about qualifications? | 63 | | Qualities of an educational leader | 64 | | Knowledge | 65 | | Attributes | | 67 | | --- | --- | --- | | Supporting and monitoring the educational leader | | 67 | | Time allocation | | 72 | | What will be considered in the assessment and rating process? | | 74 | | References and further reading | | 75 | | Part Two: A Model for understanding and
exploring educational leadership | | 79 | | Analysing educational leadership | | 80 | | Elements of the Educational Leadership Model | | 80 | | Knowledge | | 81 | | Professionalism | | 82 | | Relationships | | 83 | | Reflection | | 84 | | References | | 85 | | Knowledge—Professor Frances Press | | 86 | | What do educational leaders need to know? | | 86 | | What is knowledge? | | 86 | | What knowledge do educational leaders need? | | 87 | | Knowledge areas | | 88 | | The value of uncertainty | | 89 | | Educational leaders build knowledge collaboratively | | 89 | | Getting practical | | 90 | | Encourage a culture of reflective practice | | 90 | | Be comfortable with uncertainty | | 90 | | Have resources on hand and seek t

FAQs

What are the core expectations for an educational leader in this resource?

The resource outlines expectations and requirements for the role, including leadership for continuous improvement and alignment with national regulations and the National Quality Standard.

How does the resource describe educational leadership as a continuous improvement process?

It connects the educational leader’s responsibilities to continuous improvement, including leading practice, using approved frameworks, establishing systems, and identifying approaches that exceed the NQS.

What domains are included in the Educational Leadership Model?

The model is explored through knowledge, professionalism, relationships, and reflection, with guidance on practical steps such as collaborative knowledge building and reflective practice.

Sep 18, 2026

Uploaded by Blitz