In reviewing appropriate leadership

In reviewing appropriate leadership literature it was clear that distributed leadership research is
relatively young, emerging as a focus of research during the late 1990s, and is primarily concerned
with the study of school-based leaders. Likewise, although Ebbeck and Waniganayake (2003)
introduced the concept of distributive leadership, and others such as Aubrey (2007) and Scrivens
(2006) have endorsed its exploration within early childhood settings, published papers in this sector
of education are sparse and difficult to locate. Nonetheless, the burgeoning literature on distributed
leadership being operationalized within schools in Canada, Europe and the USA in particular
(see Table 1) warrants independent analysis, so that its relevance in early childhood settings may
be critiqued in meaningful ways.