Embedding Equity in Early Warning Systems: A Conceptual Argument

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 15
  In Roundtable Session: Showcasing Plural Perspectives on the Scholarship of Improvement: The Improvement Science SIG Roundtable (Table 7)

Abstract

Early warning systems (EWSs) are increasingly used as a tool in improvement science for schools. These systems involve measuring and testing change ideas through systematic data collection to identify students early on who may not be on-track to graduate. We extend current thinking around EWSs to combat race-neutral ideologies and focus on minoritized students whom traditional EWSs have categorized as “at-risk”. Using content analysis of the current field of EWS literature, we propose a novel conceptualization of EWSs explicitly attuned to racial equity and power of non-dominant families. This conceptual argument uses Critical Race Theory (CRT) and literature from equitable leadership practices that envisions EWSs as race-conscious and embedded in communities.

Authors

• Hailey Karcher, University of Washington

• Jennifer Gaul, University of Washington

• Jessica G. Rigby, University of Washington