Community-Engaged Equity Audits: A Process for Collective and Sustainable Reform for Schools

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 9
  In Roundtable Session: Utilizing Leadership Context to Champion Reform, Policy, and Practice Toward Equitable Change for Justice

Abstract

Some educational leaders are ill-equipped to effectively address the range of inequities underserved communities experience (Green, 2017). Leaders will define and place problems in the school setting, thereby recommendations for change will focus on internal practices (Sarason, 1996). Equity audits are “a systematic way for school leaders -- principals, superintendents, curriculum directors, teacher leaders – to assess the degree of equity or inequity present in ...their schools or districts” (Skrla et al., 2009, p. 3). However, other researchers have expanded on this definition to address oppressive practices (Khalifa, 2018) and community work (Green, 2017). The objective of this research was to analyze how one school district in Texas implemented a community-engaged equity audit to create, implement and support their equity initiatives.

Author

• Kelly Ann Brown, Lamar University