Public School educational leaders from around the United States are confronted with choices inhow to invest resources that can create the greatest impact for students. An often-overlooked area of investment is early childhood education. As defined by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), this is the period of development between birth through age 8 for any child. If a district were allowed to self-assess their own early learning readiness, will the leadership of that district be equipped and prepared to deliberate and make appropriately measured decisions based on current practices and utilized resources? This study seeks to explore how educational leaders, including superintendents, when confronted with the ability to self-evaluate their district’s early learning readiness, can uncover the impact early learning can have on the financial planning, facilities management, personnel decisions, family engagement, and the culture of their organization.
","abstract_html":"<p>Public School educational leaders from around the United States are confronted with choices inhow to invest resources that can create the greatest impact for students. An often-overlooked area of investment is early childhood education. As defined by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), this is the period of development between birth through age 8 for any child. If a district were allowed to self-assess their own early learning readiness, will the leadership of that district be equipped and prepared to deliberate and make appropriately measured decisions based on current practices and utilized resources? This study seeks to explore how educational leaders, including superintendents, when confronted with the ability to self-evaluate their district’s early learning readiness, can uncover the impact early learning can have on the financial planning, facilities management, personnel decisions, family engagement, and the culture of their organization. </p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Manuszak, Edward John, II"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)","degree_level":"Open Access Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Leadership and Counseling","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["David Anderson, PhD","Rob Carpenter, PhD","Davis Clement, PhD"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2024,"date_issued":"2024-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2024-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:47Z","subjects":["developmentally appropriate practice","early childhood","ELPAT","leadership","superintendent","systemic","Early Childhood Education","Educational Leadership"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.emich.edu/theses/1228","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["David Anderson, PhD","Rob Carpenter, PhD","Davis Clement, PhD"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Manuszak, Edward John, II"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2024-06-14T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Leadership and Counseling"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Open Access Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["developmentally appropriate practice","early childhood","ELPAT","leadership","superintendent","systemic","Early Childhood Education","Educational Leadership"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/1228"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Public School educational leaders from around the United States are confronted with choices inhow to invest resources that can create the greatest impact for students. An often-overlooked area of investment is early childhood education. As defined by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), this is the period of development between birth through age 8 for any child. If a district were allowed to self-assess their own early learning readiness, will the leadership of that district be equipped and prepared to deliberate and make appropriately measured decisions based on current practices and utilized resources? This study seeks to explore how educational leaders, including superintendents, when confronted with the ability to self-evaluate their district’s early learning readiness, can uncover the impact early learning can have on the financial planning, facilities management, personnel decisions, family engagement, and the culture of their organization.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Investigating early childhood education through a systemic lens: What impact does early childhood education have on district level leadership"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["David Anderson, PhD","Rob Carpenter, PhD","Davis Clement, PhD"],"dc:creator":["Manuszak, Edward John, II"],"dc:date.available":["2024-06-14T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Public School educational leaders from around the United States are confronted with choices inhow to invest resources that can create the greatest impact for students. An often-overlooked area of investment is early childhood education. As defined by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), this is the period of development between birth through age 8 for any child. If a district were allowed to self-assess their own early learning readiness, will the leadership of that district be equipped and prepared to deliberate and make appropriately measured decisions based on current practices and utilized resources? This study seeks to explore how educational leaders, including superintendents, when confronted with the ability to self-evaluate their district’s early learning readiness, can uncover the impact early learning can have on the financial planning, facilities management, personnel decisions, family engagement, and the culture of their organization.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/1228"],"dc:subject":["developmentally appropriate practice","early childhood","ELPAT","leadership","superintendent","systemic","Early Childhood Education","Educational Leadership"],"dc:title":["Investigating early childhood education through a systemic lens: What impact does early childhood education have on district level leadership"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Leadership and Counseling"],"thesis:degree_level":["Open Access Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:47Z"}