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Improving Systems, Practices, and Outcomes

Adaptive Leadership: Practice Profile

Updated June 26, 2026, 10:53 AM
Sherri Britt-Williams

This practice profile is organized around five critical components. Each component reflects several of the following Adaptive Leadership Principles for Early Childhood. You can use this practice profile to:

  • Plan and guide leadership practices that support change and improvement in early childhood systems.
  • Reflect on adaptive leadership practices and adjust them as needed.
  • Identify areas for leadership growth, shared learning, and change.
  • Collaborate with families, practitioners, community members, and other partners to assess and improve leadership practices.

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About This Practice Profile

The critical components in this Practice Profile were informed by the work of the ECTA Center Leadership Competencies Technical Work Group (TWG), whose members brought a range of experiences and perspectives from early childhood systems. Their work highlighted the importance of leadership as an ongoing process of reflection, learning, and collaboration.

The practices and quality indicators are based on the Adaptive Leadership Principles for Early Childhood and insights from early childhood leaders who participated in ECTA's Leadership Coaching Program Cohort.

Acknowledgements

We value the wisdom and contributions of those with real-world experience, practical expertise, and evidence-based knowledge to ensure that adaptive leadership practices and quality indicators are expressed in ways that are relevant, actionable, and system focused.

Leadership Competencies Technical Working Group (TWG):

  • Sadia Batool, Family Leader, Early Childhood Family Lead, PA Office of Child Development and Early Learning
  • Ruby Batz, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, University of Nevada, Reno College of Education and Human Development, DEC Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice (EISJ) Tri-Chair
  • Sherri Britt Williams, ECTA Center Associate Director, Family Leader
  • Alyson Cavanaugh, ECTA Center TA Specialist
  • Brian Deese, NC Part C (Early Intervention) Coordinator, IDEA Infant-Toddler Coordinators Association (ITCA)
  • David Emenheiser, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP)
  • Maria Estlund, State Policy Specialist, National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
  • Sherry Franklin, ECTA Center TA Consultant
  • Janette Guerra, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP)
  • Thomas McGhee, ECTA Center Associate Director, DaSy Center TA Consultant
  • Shantel Meek, Ph.D., Director, Children's Equity Project
  • Portia Pope, Ph.D., Acting Director, NC DHHS Office of Health Equity
  • Julie Rand, Part B 619 (ECSE) Coordinator, Kansas
  • Micker Richardson, Director, American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) Head Start Collaboration Office
  • Sonia Sabater, ECTA Center TA Associate
  • Christopher Scott, Ed.D., Executive Director, UNC LEADS, Assistant Professor, UNC Chapel Hill School of Education
  • Sanaa Sharrieff, Family Leader
  • Seena Skelton, Ph.D., Executive Director of Makeeba Consulting, LLC
  • Mandy Sorge, Ed.D., Executive Director, National Association of State Leaders in Early Education (NASLEE)
  • Xigrid Soto-Boykin, Ph.D., Director of Language Justice & Learning Equity, Children's Equity Project, Assistant Research Professor, Arizona State University
  • Sherri Killins Stewart, Ed.D., Director of Systems Alignment and Integration and Co-Director of State Services, BUILD Initiative
  • Kristina Trujillo-Stephens, Family Leader
  • Keashia Walker, NC Part B 619 (ECSE) Co-Coordinator