What Does Equity Mean, Anyways? A Systematic Review of the School Leadership Literature

• In Event: Conceptualizing Equity in Leadership

Abstract

This systematic literature review investigates discourses of equity in the literature on school leadership during the implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act in the United States. Overall, 73 articles were reviewed spanning the years 2015 through 2022. Findings reveal that equity is only defined in about 40% of articles, with practitioners more focused on “all children” and scholars emphasizing addressing systemic injustice. Overall, 31 different operationalizations of equity emerged, reflecting variation in how equity beliefs were translated into actual leadership practice. These operationalizations reflect theories of action grounded in commitments to equality, equalizing opportunity, and applying a critical perspective to practice.

Author

• David Albert Rodes Trautman, University of California - San Diego