Testing a Holistic Framework of Early Care and Education and K-12 Leaders’ Working Conditions and Well-being

The importance of educational leadership for child, teacher, and organizational outcomes is well documented, yet leaders' working conditions and well-being have received considerably less attention, particularly in the ECE sector. Using a holistic conceptualization of leader well-being along with the Job-Demands-Resources (JD-R) framework, the purpose of this study was to examine the associations among various job demands, resources, and well-being (i.e., physical, psychological, and professional well-being) of birth-to-twelfth grade (B-12) leaders. We developed and tested this model via a structural equation modelling (SEM) approach with approximately 2,000 ECE and K-12 building leaders across the U.S. We found substantially stronger total, direct, and indirect effects between job demands and well-being than between job resources and well-being, though resources were found to be directly associated with professional well-being. Findings also suggest that the model of working conditions and well-being is similar for both ECE and K-12 leaders.