Early Childhood Preparation for School Leaders: Lessons from New Jersey Principal Certification Programs

N

44

New Jersey Department of Education

Principals; Certification; Early Childhood Education; Young Children; Leadership Training; Internship Programs; Program Implementation; Faculty Development; Instructional Leadership; School Administration; Administrator Education; Leadership Effectiveness; Leaders

In light of the changing landscape of state-funded public education and changing expectations for principals in elementary schools, researchers examined the status of New Jersey principal certification programs in order to allow policymakers, institutions of higher education, and other stakeholders to assess the capacity of the state's higher education system and inform policy, practice, and investment related to the pre-K-3 continuum. The New Jersey Department of Education commissioned the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE) to implement the Early Childhood Higher Education Inventory: Principal Certification Programs (CSCCE, 2016), a research tool used to assess the inclusion of early education in required course content and internships. Across New Jersey, 23 institutions of higher education offer a program of study that leads to principal certification. The findings in this report represent the majority of these programs and include the current state of principal certification programs in New Jersey with regard to: (1) The format in which the certification program is offered; (2) The extent to which New Jersey principal certification programs require principal candidates to attain the knowledge, skills, and experiences associated with effective school leadership; (3) The extent to which programs provide opportunities for principal candidates to engage in internship experiences in schools with pre-K-3 classrooms; and (4) The challenges facing programs associated with preparing principal candidates to lead schools with pre-K-3 classrooms.

ERIC

44

2018

ED586372