The Role of Early Childhood Educational Leaders in Developing Preschools as Learning Organizations

This study explored preschools as learning organizations and the role of early childhood educational leaders in developing preschools as learning organizations. As the literature notes, organizational learning is a powerful and necessary framework for schools to foster continuous improvement and enhance student outcomes (Mulford et al., 2004). Senge's framework (2012) further underscores the importance of organizational learning for schools and students to adapt to and thrive in the ever-changing state of the world. Educational leaders are critical in facilitating organizational learning and developing schools as learning organizations (Leithwood & Louis, 1998). While much of the existing literature on organizational learning in schools focuses on K-12 schools, this study extends the research to early childhood education. Early childhood is a crucial period for development, and with 60% of U.S. children enrolled in preschools (National Center for Education Statistics, 2024), the potential impact of these institutions can be significant. Investigating and applying educational leadership practices to develop preschools as learning organizations can drive meaningful school improvements and enhance student outcomes, addressing the pressing need for excellence in early childhood education.

Several bodies of literature were analyzed for this study, including the literature on organizational learning in schools, the role of educational leaders in facilitating organizational learning in schools, and the importance of early childhood education. The conceptual framework for this study was grounded in the theoretical and empirical research on organizational learning in K-12 school settings by Mulford, Silins, and Leithwood (2004) and the Leadership for Organisational Learning and Student Outcomes (LOLSO) Research Project (2003). The research identified four defining characteristics of learning organizations, including establishing a trusting and collaborative climate, having a shared and monitored mission, and taking initiatives and risks, all within the context of ongoing and relevant professional development. The research also identified key dimensions of educational leadership that influence the factors defining organizational learning. These dimensions include vision and goals, culture, structure, intellectual stimulation, individual support, performance expectations, and community focus. The conceptual framework for this study honored this relationship between the factors defining schools as learning organizations and the dimensions of educational leadership for developing schools as learning organizations and applied them to early childhood education. Additionally, the conceptual framework for this study honored the role of organizational routines in developing preschools as learning organizations. The literature posits that by creating, maintaining, and adapting organizational routines and structures for their schools, educational leaders can influence organizational learning within their schools (Pentland & Feldman, 2008; Spillane, 2011). The inclusion of organizational routines in this study and conceptual framework aimed to provide a practical framework to guide early childhood educational leaders in developing preschools as learning organizations.

This qualitative, multi-site case study took place between August and September 2024. Data collection included semi-structured interviews with school leaders and a teacher survey. The survey administered was the “short form” of the Leadership for Organisational Learning and Student Outcomes (LOLSO) Project Questionnaire (Mulford et al., 2004), and the interview questions were modeled from the LOLSO Research Project to provide additional leadership perspectives on the phenomena. Research was collected at multiple sites and analyzed in a nested model by school and then across sites. This allowed for the study of the dimensions of educational leadership and organizational learning within individual school settings and across schools.

Study findings revealed similar dimensions of leadership and support structures for developing preschools as learning organizations across different school contexts. Findings included a strong alignment between the educational leader’s ability to enact a school’s vision and the development of the school as a learning organization, a strong relationship between professional development and developing preschools as learning organizations, as well as the role of the educational leader in leading these efforts, and the role of the educational leader in developing community and school culture for developing preschools as learning organizations.

Resulting from these findings and drawing on the literature, I developed several recommendations for educational leaders to enact to develop preschools as learning organizations. These recommendations include: 1) Establish and monitor a shared school mission. 2) Clear and clearly communicated performance expectations. 3) Implement comprehensive teacher support systems. 4) Develop a culture of collaboration. 5) Strengthen parental engagement and communication. 6) Prioritize and protect professional development. 7) Incorporate cultural elements of well-being into school culture. Recommendations for research include expanding the research to broader populations and focusing on organizational routines for developing preschools as learning organizations.