Who Me? Everyone is a Leader in Early Childhood Special Education
Title: Who Me? Everyone is a Leader in Early Childhood Special Education
Date: Wednesday, September 13th, 2023, 5:00 – 6:00 PM Eastern Time
Description: Leadership is multifaceted and can be nurtured in all early childhood special education (ECSE) providers. We will provide an overview of the components of a leadership mind and skill set along with practical strategies to build, support and sustain leadership. This perspective and corresponding skills is key to working with young children and their families as well as colleagues. In addition, the DEC Leadership in ECSE position statement and DEC Recommended Practices Leadership strand offers guidance and benchmarks for reflection. The forthcoming DEC monograph will offer additional support to DEC members who work with our constituent groups. Leadership is a part of all DEC activities. It is evident across all providers and can be nurtured in daily interactions as well as more formal means. We will provide options for making leadership part of everyday practice at an individual and program level. We will also describe leadership as process with ways to identify and align ECSE work with leadership and its impact on positive outcomes for young children, families, and providers.
Objectives:
- Participants will increase knowledge of a leadership mind and skill set relevant to ECSE
- Participants will acquire strategies related to nurturing leadership skills
- Participants will gain ideas to build a supportive environment for leadership in their practice
Presenters: Deborah Bruns, PhD; Annie George-Puskar, PhD; Elizabeth Beavers, PhD
DR. DEBORAH BRUNS is a Professor and program coordinator of the Special Education program at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Her focus is best practices in ECSE assessment and instruction as well as leadership.
DR. ANNIE GEORGE-PUSKAR is an Assistant Professor in Curriculum and Teaching and chair of the Doctoral Planning Committee at Fordham University. Her foci is preschool transition and leadership in ECSE.
DR. ELIZABETH BEAVERS is an Associate Professor of Special Education in the College of Education at the University of Houston Clear Lake. She focuses on reflective practices and leadership in ECSE.