Justice in the Gaps: School Leader Ethics and the Use of Data to Address the Opportunity Gap

• In Event: The Politics of Equity and Social Justice in Student Achievement

Abstract

This paper addresses what we are calling “the gaps,” the divergent and contextual understandings of “opportunity gap” and “achievement gap” evident in phenomenological interviews with principals and school district leaders. Drawing from a sample of 22 interviews in urban, inner-ring suburban, and outer-ring suburban schools in a northeastern state, we explore how school leaders define the "gaps," position themselves ethically, and use data (in its many forms) to pose questions and construct solutions. We demonstrate a range of responses and suggest implications for preparing school leaders to imagine ethical practices to work toward "justice in the gaps."

Authors

• Osly Flores, University of Pittsburgh

• Michael G. Gunzenhauser, University of Pittsburgh