SHARED LEADERSHIP IN PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION: THE PARENTS’ PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Shared leadership has been a topic of discussion and debate among scientists and practitioners. The article analyses the perspective of parents on shared leadership in the pre-school educational institution. The article consists of three parts: first, the concept of shared leadership and its features are revealed, the second part of the article presents the methodology of empirical research, and in the third part of the paper main results of the research are discussed. Shared leadership in the article is understood as a process based on collective responsibility, cooperation, and democratic values, in which all members of the community are involved in decision-making, activity planning, and sharing responsibility. A study of shared leadership characteristics in one nursery school revealed that, from the parents' point of view, leadership is shared in this educational institution because it is based on cooperation, trust, and the involvement of parents in the life of the educational institution. Parents are informed, listened to, invited to participate in activities, offer ideas, and contribute to decision-making. The support and openness of teachers create the conditions for active, equal partnership.