The Power of Teacher Agency: Leading from the Classroom
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Leadership in early childhood education does not just come from front offices or district buildings. It comes from classroom teachers too (Douglass 2017; Cooper 2022). Every day, early childhood educators in pre-K-to-grade-3 settings lead through the relationships they build, the decisions they make, and the ways they collaborate with colleagues and families. This kind of leadership is not about titles or positions; it is about influence.
However, opportunities to influence schoolwide decision making are often limited. This article shares ways that educators across the prekindergarten-to-grade-3 age band can lead with agency to improve instruction and family engagement through deep collaboration with colleagues.
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Photograph: © Getty Images
Copyright © 2026 by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. See permissions and reprints online at NAEYC.org/resources/permissions.
Amy Schmidtke, EdD, is director of educational practice at the Buffett Early Childhood Institute at the University of Nebraska. With more than 30 years of experience as an early childhood educator, instructional coach, and author, her work focuses on leadership for early learning and intentional teaching that blends child-guided exploration with purposeful adult support. [email protected]
Mary Beth Pistillo, MS, is an early childhood specialist at the Buffett Early Childhood Institute at the University of Nebraska. She has more than 35 years of experience as a preschool and kindergarten teacher, adjunct faculty member, training coordinator at the Nebraska Department of Education, and instructional coach.
Greta Morris is a public outreach communications specialist at the Buffett Early Childhood Institute at the University of Nebraska. Through media relations, storytelling, and strategic communications, she shares stories from educators and communities that build public understanding and support for early childhood initiatives. [email protected]