Continuous Improvement and Laissez-Faire Equity Work

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

Abstract

Drawing from data collected from the Gates Foundation’s Networks for School Improvement portfolio and a critical review of the literature on continuous improvement, we argue that current CI efforts are susceptible to falling into the trap of “laissez-faire equity work.” CI work focused on disparities pushes intensive routines, data tracking, and small-scaled changes which leads many adherents to see all CI work as equity work. We call this “laissez-faire equity work.” We argue this laissez-faire approach is not only concern worthy due to its lack of systems analysis, but that it also: 1) weakens the range of strategies employed for CI and 2) it underestimates how these systems (racism, classism, etc.) push back and undermine CI efforts.

Authors

• R. L'Heureux Lewis-McCoy, New York University

• Nadirah Farah Foley, Washington University in St. Louis

• Susan Bush-Mecenas, RAND Corporation