Leadership in Massachusetts early education schools: Perceptions of leader attributes in practice

The purpose of the current exploratory research was to identify, examine, and describe perceived leadership qualifications and performance attributes at childcare centers in Massachusetts. The study participants represented 34 towns and included 61 directors and 515 teachers employed at 56 schools. School licensures ranged from 30 to 70+ children per day. In total, the 56 participating schools provided care to 190 infants, 251 toddlers, and 2,189 preschoolers with total service to 2,630 children. Hypothesis analyses revealed disparities among the leader qualifications and confirmed intellectual variances among schools, directors, and teachers. Each of the outcome variables reported in the Human Resources performance category resulted in the widest variance among directors and the teachers. While results did not correlate director qualifications with particular leadership strength, the results did show an array of noteworthy weight proportions for each of seven performance areas. In general, the directors reported higher ratings than subordinate ratings. The directors in the current study articulated a need for greater support and subordinates indicated a need for a sense of worth. The findings give theoretical support to emotional intelligence scenarios appearing in and influencing the workplace. The results suggest that the industry should consider future research involving emotional intelligence, human resources, human capital, and motivational issues from a geographical and contemporary standpoint notwithstanding fundamental values for staff and child outcomes.