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Early childhood professionals participating in leadership development program

The Essential Fellowship

The research behind The Essential Fellowship, an intensive, individualized program for early childhood leaders.

Decades of research have demonstrated that effective leaders are the key drivers of improvements in educational settings, including early childhood programs. With those findings in mind, our research team helped develop The Essential Fellowship, an intensive leadership development program designed to enhance early education program quality and child outcomes by supporting and improving instructional leadership.

Our research on adult learning among early education practitioners resulted in an approach that combines training, coaching and peer learning to drive program improvement. Our focus is on strengthening key organizational supports: effective leaders, collaborative teachers, supportive environment, involved families, and ambitious instruction.

Key Findings

  • In school settings, we have found that instructional leadership and embedded professional learning serve to transform not just preschool classrooms, but all grades served in the school building.

Publications & Resources

Note: Research and reports published prior to 2020 refer to The Essential Fellowship as Lead Learn Excel.

Evaluation of Lead Learn Excel

Link

This external evaluation of Lead Learn Excel conducted by the Center for Literacy at the University of Illinois at Chicago, describes participants and examines findings, lessons learned and research and policy implications based on the first 15 months of implementation of The Essential Fellowship model.

Download Evaluation of Lead Learn Excel

Job-Embedded Professional Learning Essential To Improving Teaching and Learning in Early Education

Link

This paper makes the case that the field must abandon traditional professional development and replace it with the organizational and sustained support of job-embedded professional learning and details recommendations for implementation as well as policy recommendations.

Download Job-Embedded Professional Learning Essential To Improving Teaching and Learning in Early Education

Research & Evaluation Team & Collaborators

Funders

  • Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge Grant
    • U.S. Department of Education
    • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
  • Alvin H. Baum Family Fund
  • James P. and Brenda S. Grusecki Family Foundation
  • Pritzker Children’s Initiative
  • Prince Charitable Trusts
  • Harris Family Foundation
  • Northern Trust
  • The Oscar G. & Elsa S. Mayer Family Foundation
  • The Stranahan Foundation
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Our Research

We conduct research and evaluations to elevate the expertise of early childhood professionals and support better learning environments.

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Contact Us

For research and policy inquiries, contact our research team.

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Let’s Talk

Have specific questions about Start Early’s Professional Development? Reach out directly to our team.

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