Navigating the Storm: Superintendents and Equity Directors Working Together in Suburban Contexts

• In Event: District Equity Leaders Navigating Differing Political Geographies: A Critical Discussion

Abstract

Adoption of equity director positions was accelerated by powerful societal demands for justice after the murder of George Floyd and other Black men and women in 2020 (Lewis et al., 2023; Martinez-Maldonado, 2023; Matschiner, in press). Given the rapid adoption of these roles, understanding of the role is still emerging. Research has focused on the emergence and diffusion of the role as well as role configurations and the evolution of the position (Irby et al., 2022; Lewis et al., 2023; Matschiner, in press; Meyer et al., 2022). Yet little is known about the role superintendents play in creating the necessary conditions for equity directors to succeed in their roles. This is an important gap as superintendents set conditions for change within a district. This study examines the relationship between superintendents and equity directors to address this gap in the literature.

Theoretical Framework
Drawing on racialized organizations theory, the study explores how equity directors and superintendents wrestled with the complexities of navigating equity work in dynamic political conditions within a racialized suburban context and how participants’ racial identities influenced their work, their relationship, and the strategies they utilized to continue equity efforts (Lerma et al., 2020; McCambly & Colyvas, 2023; Portocarrero, 2023; Ray, 2019).


The study employs a counter-narrative approach for interviews with equity directors and superintendents in suburban school districts (Miller et al., 2020). Data analysis involved multiple rounds of coding and memoing to surface common themes regarding the relationships of equity directors and superintendents (Moghaddam, 2006).
Data
Data included 34 semi-structured interviews with current and former superintendents and equity directors in suburban schools.
Results

The study finds that a collaborative, trusting, and positive relationship between an equity director and their superintendent was essential to the advancement of equity efforts (Matschiner, in press; Meyer et al., 2022). Four themes emerged as positive features for the relationship: 1) bidirectional coaching; 2) public superintendent support of equity efforts and equity directors; 3) direct access to the superintendent regardless of an equity director’s reporting relationship; 4) awareness of racialized experiences in leadership. Additionally, participants reported that equity work was unlike other organizational change work and required attentiveness to the dynamics of race (McCambly & Colyvas, 2023). Equity directors reported that many White superintendents delegated conversations about race and racial identity to them. Superintendents confirmed these findings and pointed to their racial identity to explain why they were uncomfortable or unpracticed with race talk (Irby & Clark, 2018).

This work contributes to emergent research on the equity director position, particularly regarding the relationship between equity directors and superintendents. If racialized change efforts are to bear fruit in schools, leaders must engage in race talk across all levels of leadership. Equity directors recognized this dilemma and reported supporting superintendents’ growth in their ability to engage in race talk. These efforts came at a cost to equity directors, as they had to navigate when and how to intervene, educate, or disagree. The findings in this study can help superintendents create conditions that better support equity directors.

Author

• Dayna Muniz, University of Pennsylvania