A National Equity Audit: Using "Their" Data to Guide "Our" Mission

• In Event: 79.050 - MTCC Roundtable Session 36
  In Roundtable Session: 79.050-7 - Complexities of Defining Equity in Audit Culture

Abstract

Equity audits have long been used as a tool for social justice leaders to use data to inform decisions and assess schools. Just as equity audits have provided a means for creating conversation among educational leaders and scholars, they offer a bridge that might facilitate more effective communication across political lines with policy-makers, government officials, and other key stakeholders. The present study used open data from federal websites to conduct a national equity audit exploring teacher and principal quality, programmatic, and achievement equity. The results indicate both success and areas for improvement with key differences in charter school teacher and principal quality, exclusionary discipline for Black students, and graduation rates for those with IEPs and English Learners.

Author

• Gina Laura Gullo, Lehigh University