Educational Equity in Contentious Times: Developing a Grassroots Organization to Advocate for Change

• In Event: Sunday Roundtable Session 1:15 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Contentious Times: Leaning on Equity and Healing for Organizational Improvement (Table 19)

Abstract

In recent years, anti-equity educational policy agendas have proliferated across U.S. state legislatures. Yet, they have not been carried out without resistance. In this paper, we studied the creation of a grassroots non-profit educational advocacy organization, the Missouri Equity Education Partnership (MoEEP), to better understand how organizing for equity occurs amidst state-level anti-equity efforts. Through the application of the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) alongside Critical Policy Analysis (CPA), our findings revealed the importance of leadership strategies, consciousness of in/equity, and navigation of limited resources in the establishment of MoEEP. Ultimately, we hope that others interested in educational equity advocacy work can use this study to begin their own path toward more equitable schools in their communities.

Authors

• Madeline Good, City Garden School

• Sarah Diem, University of Missouri