Access, Achievement, Identity, Power: Conceptualizing Equity-Centered Leadership Practice Through the Lens of Multidimensionality

• In Event: Saturday Roundtable Session 1:15 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Improving Schools, Improving School Leaders: Exploring the Possibilities for Equity (Table 19)

Abstract

Addressing educational inequities requires equity-centered leaders with the skills, knowledge, and mindsets to promote equity in schools. However, specific practices for equity-centered leadership have been under-specified, hindering the development of such leaders. This qualitative research explores how educators conceptualize equity-centered school leadership practices, utilizing Rochelle Gutierrez's multi-dimensional framework of equity. Preliminary findings indicate variations in equity conceptualizations, with some schools emphasizing access and others focusing on identity. We identify practices that advance equity as access, achievement, identity, and power, offering specificity for developing equity-centered leaders. Understanding these practices is essential for guiding professional development efforts and fostering more inclusive and equitable educational environments. Additionally, this research expands Gutierrez's framework beyond instructional practice, applying it to the context of leadership.

Authors

• Mary Louise Leger, University of California - Los Angeles

• Gerald Dryer, WCER

• Louis M. Gomez, University of California - Los Angeles