How Leadership Development Drives School Performance
BY KATHY LIGON
What would it look like if every area of your school was running at its best? It’s a question worth sitting with because for most ECE owners, the answer isn’t tied to a single initiative or a new system. It points to something more foundational.
After decades of working with early education school owners across the country on business and exit strategies, it’s clear (and not surprising) that the schools that consistently perform at a high level are driven by better leaders. And the owners who invest in developing those leaders—at every level of the organization—tend to see the results show up everywhere.
When something isn’t working at your school, the first instinct is to fix what’s visible. Enrollment softens, so you revisit your inquiry process. A parent raises a concern, so you update your communication policy. A teacher resigns, so you post the position again. While these are reasonable responses, they may not be solving the right problem.
Reflect: The author writes, “Culture lives in the daily behavior of leaders.” What effective daily behaviors have you seen leaders engage in that supported positive cultures? Which of the author’s suggestions feel most helpful to you right now?
ADVERTISEMENT
Rising Together: A System’s Approach to Empowering Afghan Refugees to Enter the Child Care Workforce
BY LIRAN LAOR
In Fall 2024, fifty Afghan refugee families in Montgomery County, Maryland faced eviction after exhausting available resources and inability to find work (Wainwright, 2024). Afghan women, in particular, struggled to find employment due to cultural norms, language barriers, high cost of child care and limited job opportunities.
Montgomery County, Maryland, is one of the most diverse counties in the United States, with over one million residents and a significant population of families who speak languages other than English (Montgomery Planning, n.d.). Among children under five, 58% live in households where at least one parent speaks a language other than English (Reinvestment Funds, 2024).
At the same time, Maryland’s child care sector experienced a 26.6% decline in educators between 2019 and 2022, coupled with a turnover rate of 12.5% (Lierman, 2024). As a result, only 59% of Montgomery County’s young children had access to licensed child care (Reinvestment Funds, 2024).
Reflect: The project described in this article strives to support immigrants while also addressing the shortage of early educators. The author asks: “How can you bring this project to your area?” Do you see possibilities for replicating some of the strategies the author describes?
ADVERTISEMENT
Listen Here! Purposeful Activities to Promote Early Listening Skills
BY MICHELLE CIMINELLI AND NORLINE WILD
Did you know that listening—the most frequently used language skill—is often overlooked in our classrooms? Early oral language development and rich experiences in speaking and listening are essential for building strong reading and writing skills (Gilliam & Reutzel, 2013). Unfortunately, while we prioritize reading and writing, listening is rarely focused on specifically in schools (Tompkins, 2011). Children who have difficulty learning to read often cannot hear or distinguish between sound sequences in words. The great news is that targeted interventions can boost a child’s sound awareness and enhance their literacy skills (Kaminski & Powell-Smith, 2017).
What Is Discriminative Listening and Why Is It Important?
When children learn to speak, they do not need to attend to all the individual sounds in words (phonemes). For example, a child may say the word “cat” without understanding the word is made up of three distinct sounds – /k/ /ă/ /t/. We do not break words into parts when speaking naturally. However, to become skilled readers, children need to be aware of phonemes as they use the alphabet to read the printed word. Phonemic awareness is the ability to identify, hear, and manipulate sounds in spoken words. It is a foundational component for developing successful readers and is a predictor of later reading success (National Reading Panel, 2000). Explicit instruction in discriminative listening can support phonemic awareness.
Reflect:The authors offer a number of playful games that help children develop stronger listening skills. How might you use some of these in your work?
Exchange Community Voices IS MADE POSSIBLE BY OUR DEDICATED SPONSORS:
Exchange Community Voices is brought to you by our Exchange Staff with Nancy Rosenow as Editor-in-Chief. Our collaboration with Exchange Strategic Partners supports early childhood professionals worldwide.
FOLLOW US
This email was sent to _t.e.s.t_@example.com by
Dimensions Educational Research Foundation, 7700 A Street, Lincoln, Nebraska 68510, United States (800) 221-2864 | info@exchangepress.com
