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National survey reveals limited early childhood training despite high pre-K valuation among school district superintendents, highlighting the need for targeted leadership development.
Early education programs are increasingly under the purview of public school districts. This study analyzes a nationally distributed survey of superintendents ( N = 404) from the National Longitudinal Superintendent Database to examine (a) superintendent beliefs about the importance of Pre-K, (b) district prioritization of Pre-K, (c) how districts structure Pre-K leadership, and (d) practices supporting Pre-K and early education. Findings show that superintendents have limited direct experience or formal training in early childhood education, strongly value Pre-K for promoting kindergarten readiness, generally support Pre-K but with varying prioritization, and often embed Pre-K leadership within broader administrative roles. These findings point to directions for future research and highlight policy and practice changes to strengthen superintendent leadership for early education in districts.
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Little et al. (2026) studied this question.
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