Summary:
Many studies have noted the strong and positive effect of educational leadership on student achievement, school culture, and other aspects of the educational environment (Kelley, Thornton, & Daugherty, 2005; Leithwood & Jantzi, 2000; Waters, Marzano, & McNulty, 2005; Witziers, Bosker, & Kruger, 2003). Current research also points unequivocally toward leadership as an important factor in the achievement of quality in most educational institutions. Leadership has been cited as second only to classroom instruction in its contribution to achievement (Leithwood, Louis, Anderson, & Wahlstrom, 2004). Despite the fact that the importance of leadership has been established in the field of education in general, research on leadership in early childhood settings has been lacking. Further, the research in this area is dominated by only a few researchers, with most of the studies being conducted as dissertations (Muijs, Aubrey, Harris, & Briggs, 2004). ACCESS FULL MANUSCRIPT AT: http://cnx.org/content/m43690/latest/