District Policy Toward Educational Equity

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

District leaders allocate resources in accordance with local, state, and federal policy, but also in accordance with their values, expertise, and policy contexts (Spain, 2016). As such, previous research emphasizes that districts are a promising, but understudied, governance level for equity reforms (B. Levin et al., 2012; Spillane, 1996; Turner & Spain, 2020). However, district policy alone–absent commitments from leadership and organizational supports–is insufficient to produce equitable improvements (McQuillan et al., 2024). This panel examines district-level policies and practices designed to increase educational equity.  

The first paper analyzes language of equity and resource allocation in district strategic planning documents within the urban South. It finds that school districts’ approach to equity initiatives and tracking vary widely. Authors describe patterns in how documents define equity– such as using equity language without explicitly acknowledging any forms of difference or disparities currently in the district versus explicitly connecting educational equity to structural racism and societal oppression – and specify metrics by which they will measure progress. Authors draw on the literature on public sector strategic planning and achievement gap discourse to frame the policy implications of these findings, as well as directions for future research. 

The second paper examines district adoption of grow-your-own (GYO) teacher preparation programs and their effect on the educator pipeline. Using linked longitudinal student and staffing data, this paper examines whether participation in GYO courses leads to teacher licensure and employment in Tennessee public schools. In addition, this paper assesses the equitable implementation of GYO programs within and across districts, examining the extent to which the program targets schools with the greatest staffing shortages and student academic needs. Findings provide evidence on the potential and limitations of GYO efforts to improve teacher workforce equity through localized, early recruitment strategies.  

 The third paper studies characteristics associated with greater teacher effectiveness in remote instruction. Authors exploit a panel of matched student-teacher data to examine the relative effectiveness of teachers moving from in-person to remote instruction in the 2020-21 school year. They find that the most effective in-person teachers experience the largest relative declines in effectiveness and that veteran teachers appear more effective in remote instruction than less-experienced peers, with implications for hiring and staffing remote classes to best promote equitable student learning. 

Taken together, the papers analyze district-level moves which advance or stymie equitable outcomes for students and staff. The first paper examines how districts orient themselves to equity work. The second and third papers examine two approaches districts take in response to staffing challenges – which are themselves inequitably and differentially distributed between and within districts. Discussion will focus on how each paper advances our understanding of the other papers’ findings and the practical implications of these papers for policymakers looking to support improved outcomes for all students.

Policy Area

• Education

Secondary Policy Area

• Social Equity and Race

Chair

• Paul Park, California Baptist University

Discussants

• Lam D Pham, North Carolina State University

• Mark Junxuan Chin, Vanderbilt University

Organizer

• Kathryn Elsa James McGraw, Vanderbilt University

Individual Presentations

• District Strategic Documents and Equity: Maintaining or Disrupting Racialized Burdens - Presenting Author: Angela Cox, Vanderbilt University

• Planting the Pipeline: The Effects of Grow Your Own Initiatives on the Teacher Workforce in Tennessee - Presenting Author: Ashley Brooke Ellison, Vanderbilt University

• Teacher Effectiveness in Remote Instruction - Presenting Author: Cade Lawson, Georgia State University

• More Money, Fewer Problems?The Effects of Community School Funding on Student Behaviors in New York State - Presenting Author: Miyeun Jung, University at Albany; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Lucy C. Sorensen, University at Albany