Date of Award

8-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Executive Leadership

First Supervisor

Arleen Hogan, PhD

Second Supervisor

Amy Cermele, EdD

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine how leaders in New York State Head Start programs perceive the interpersonal traits and characteristics that define a high-quality, early childhood educator working with children from ages 3 to 5 years old. While formal qualifications, such as degrees and certifications, remain as requirements for employment, leaders may rely on interpersonal and dispositional qualities to distinguish effective early childhood educators in practice. Guided by credentialism theory, this study explored how leaders define teacher quality beyond credentials and how these perceptions shape hiring, evaluation, and professional support decisions. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with the participants who held direct responsibility for teacher hiring, evaluation, and instructional support. Analysis of interviews with nine Head Start program leaders yielded 12 themes across the two research questions. The leaders consistently defined teaching quality in relational and interpersonal terms, identifying traits, such as compassion, empathy, patience, and communication, as essential, and they regarded these qualities as not only important but also developable in teachers over time through professional development, coaching, and leadership modeling. The findings suggest that definitions of quality centered on credentials alone overlook the relational capacities that leaders consider central to effective teaching, with implications for hiring, professional development, and teacher evaluation.

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