An Examination of School and District Level Equity Directors and Their Political Contexts

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

Abstract

The purpose of this three-stage study is to explore the work of equity director leadership practice in K12 districts and schools. In response to the police murder of George Floyd, many K12 districts across the U.S. created equity director positions. Yet little is known about the work of equity directors, resulting in a practice-to-research-gap. To contribute to an emerging body of research concerning their work (e.g., Author, 2024; Author, 2023; Irby et al., 2022; Lewis et al., 2023; Martinez-Maldonado, 2023), this study seeks to identify and better understand the potential impacts of district equity directors by addressing three research questions: 1) How do school-level equity leaders perceive their work? 2) How do school-level equity leaders enact their work? 3) How do school-level equity leaders connect their work to district-level equity work?



The literature suggests that equity directors often have positional authority to lead reform efforts aimed at equitable student outcomes (Author, 2023). It also suggests their role is highly political and requires confronting issues of race and racism. To account for these racial dynamics, this study is framed using critical race methodology (CRM). CRM attends to the salience of race in all aspects of the research process, acknowledges impacts of history, centers minoritized people as experts of their experiences, and advances the goals of justice (Solórzano & Yasso, 2002), which reflect the primary purpose of the equity director role.


The first stage of the study consists of interviews, a basic qualitative approach (Merriam & Tisdell, 2015), to gather the perceptions and experiences of equity directors serving in the 20 largest districts in Minnesota and Washington. During the second stage, we will seek participation of between nine and 15 participants in two or three districts in each state who are leading equity work at the school level, while continuing to follow the work of their respective Equity Directors. We will also use a qualitative case study approach (Stake, 1995) in each district, engaging in site visits and collecting data through observations, interviews, artifacts, and field notes. For stage three, we will focus on the equity work of teachers in each case including instructional practices, curricula, and pedagogies. Data analysis will be ongoing throughout data collection.


Initial results from the first stage of the project include interview data that reveal the lack of organizational support afforded to some district equity directors, leaving them to engage in their own self-directed professional development and preparedness efforts. Initial results also indicate that equity directors’ relationships and trust (or lack thereof) with other leaders in their district impact their effectiveness in their equity work.


Understanding the work of equity directors and school-based equity leaders will assist in aligning district office and school-based leadership efforts to address inequities. Furthermore, the states where this study is occurring are considered politically liberal and potentially promising locations for progressive education equity work. Knowing how equity leadership work occurs in these states may provide other states with transferable ways to proceed with their own equity efforts.

Authors

• Kristin Shawn Huggins, Washington State University

• Leslie Ann Locke, Minnesota State University - Mankato

• Regina Lynn Seabrook, University of Minnesota

• Emily Colton, University of Minnesota

• Darrius A. Stanley, University of Minnesota