Inquiry as Leadership: A Cross-Boundary Dialogue on Teacher-Led Equity Audits in High-Poverty Schools

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

This symposium features four equity audits led by practicing teachers in Title I schools. The first three papers examine inequities in student support, instruction, and special education to highlight how teacher-led inquiry can expose patterns of exclusion and inform equity-centered leadership. The fourth paper presents a collaborative audit by two Black women teacher leaders who, drawing on Black Feminist Thought, use an intersectional lens to investigate disparities in access and representation. Collectively, these studies demonstrate how equity audits, when led by classroom practitioners, can catalyze school improvement and policy change. Notably, the symposium fosters cross-boundary dialogue between Division A and the Teacher as Researcher SIG to bridge practice-based inquiry and leadership scholarship in pursuit of equity and justice in schools.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Teacher as Researcher

Chair

• Miyoshi Juergensen, University of Alabama - Birmingham

Papers

• Uncovering Disparities to Advance Equity: A Middle School Teacher’s Inquiry into Representation and Access - Erin Hunter, Shelby County Schools

• Listening for Equity: Examining Instructional Opportunities in a Rural Elementary School - Lauren Brascho, University of Alabama - Birmingham

• Identifying Invisible Gaps: A School-Based Audit of Special Education Practices - Caitlin Thorington, University of Alabama - Birmingham

• Leading Together: A Collaborative Equity Audit of Representation, Access, and School Culture - Micah Ducre-Toomer, Cobb County School District; Myra Bodrick, Gwinnett County Public Schools

Session Organizer

• Miyoshi Juergensen, University of Alabama - Birmingham

Discussants

• Adriana Villavicencio, New York University

• Amanda J. Cordova, North Dakota State University

• Cailen O'Shea, North Dakota State University