Equity Data Challenge: A Critical Inquiry Into What Counts as Racial Equity Improvement

• In Event: Leadership From the Margins: Pushing the Contextual Boundaries of Social Justice Scholarship, Policy, and Practice

Abstract

This manuscript explores the limitations of relying on conventional data sources and indicators to measure, monitor, and account for the impact of equity reforms in U.S. public schools. Drawing on challenges we encountered as part of a multi-year study of one school’s racial equity reform efforts, we explore critical questions about what counts as evidence of racial equity improvement over time. We give specific attention to the complexities of using data to make sense of changes in the context of leadership practice.

Authors

• Decoteau J. Irby, University of Illinois at Chicago

• Ahreum Han, University of Southern California