As prekindergarten and kindergarten (PreK/K) programs continue to expand into public elementary schools, a key actor in this process of integration and alignment is the school principal. While there is a growing body of scholarship that examines how principals integrate and align these programs with the later grades of elementary school, little is known about how principals identify the support prekindergarten and kindergarten teachers need to be successful in educating and preparing their students for school success; such information can provide insight into principals’ understanding of the work PreK/K teachers are doing daily in their classrooms. This case study examines this issue by investigating how a sample of elementary school principals in Texas made sense of the support PreK/K teachers require to be successful in their positions. Such findings reveal principals’ sensemaking of PreK/K teachers and their programs. These findings also illuminate what principals and their teachers might need from district and state administrators to lead these programs more effectively so that all students can begin their academic careers on a trajectory to thrive in elementary school.

随着学前班和幼儿园 （PreK/K） 课程不断扩展到公立小学，在这个整合和调整过程中，校长是一个关键角色。虽然有越来越多的学术研究研究校长如何将这些课程与小学高年级整合和协调，但对于校长如何确定学前班和幼儿园教师成功教育和准备学生在学校取得成功所需的支持知之甚少;这些信息可以深入了解校长对 PreK/K 教师每天在课堂上所做的工作的理解。本案例研究通过调查德克萨斯州的小学校长样本如何理解 PreK/K 教师在其职位上取得成功所需的支持来研究这个问题。这些发现揭示了校长对 PreK/K 教师及其课程的意义建构。这些发现还阐明了校长及其教师可能需要学区和州管理人员提供什么来更有效地领导这些项目，以便所有学生都能在小学茁壮成长的轨道上开始他们的学术生涯。