Educational Equity and the Logics of COVID-19: Informing School Leadership Practices in a New Period of Democratic Education

ABSTRACTThe COVID-19 pandemic created numerous disruptions for schools and districts that are still being dealt with heading into year three of the pandemic. These disruptions significantly impacted approaches and initiatives that were being set in motion prior to the pandemic. However, recent political and social shifts in U.S. society have exacerbated barriers for students and have created unfavorable conditions for school leaders. In this conceptual paper, we argue that school leadership during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic should incorporate equity-oriented practices and policies at the district level, through collaborative opportunities, and specific equity leadership logics to support students, and advance educational outcomes within this new period of democratic education. Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.Additional informationFundingFinancial support for this research came from the Wallace Foundation.Notes on contributorsJoshua ChildsJoshua Childs, Ph.D. is an assistant professor in the Educational Policy and Planning program in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy. His research examines the role of interorganizational networks and cross-sector collaborations to address complex educational issues. He also investigates collaborative approaches involving organizations (local, state, and national) that have the potential to improve academic achievement and opportunities for students in urban and rural schools. This includes ways to improve student engagement and attendance in school, interscholastic athletics, and expanding educational opportunities through concentrated policy design and implementation.Caitlin FarrellCaitlin Farrell, Ph.D. is director of the National Center of Research in Policy and Practice (NCRPP). She specializes in research on policy implementation and K-12 educational reform, with a particular focus on organizational theory. She uses qualitative methods to explore the links between educational policy and the conditions that foster successful reform, e.g., examining evidence use at the classroom, school, and system levels and the implementation and effects of alternate governance structures, such as charter schools and charter management organizations.Ain A. GroomsAin A. Grooms, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She studies K-12 educational equity, with a particular focus on equity and access for students of color and students from traditionally disenfranchised communities. She uses the intersection of race and place to examine the impact of educational policy on student achievement and associated outcomes. Her current research projects focus on whether and how educational leaders and related stakeholders in schools, districts, and states design and sustain equity-focused policies and practices, with particular emphasis on the retention of educators of color, the development of principal pipelines, and the implementation of computer science education policy.April Peters-HawkinsApril Peters-Hawkins, Ph.D. is Professor and Associate Chair of the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in the College of Education at the University of Houston. She is a Past President of the University Council of Educational Administration (UCEA), a consortium of higher education institutions. April’s research interests include: (a) mentoring and support for early career administrators; (b) women in school leadership; (c) leadership and urban small school reform; and (d) effective university and district partnerships. Her research has been published in such academic periodicals as: Journal of School Leadership; Teachers College Record; Leadership and Policy in Schools; Educational Administration Quarterly; Journal of Educational Administration; Urban Education; and The International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education.Eligio MartinezEligio Martinez, Jr, Ph.D. is an assistant professor in the Educational Leadership Department at Cal Poly Pomona. His research examines the experiences of boys and men of color throughout the educational pipeline. His research explores the transitions into higher education and experiences within the community college context.Terrenda WhiteTerrenda White, Ph.D. is an associate professor of Sociology and Education at the University of Colorado-Boulder. Her current research focuses on market-based education reforms in urban communities, and its cultural and pedagogical impact on teacher dispositions, teacher professional autonomy and identity, and the development of inclusive classroom practices. Particularly, White explores charter school reform and the organizational distinctions across community-based charter schools and privately managed charter schools. Her work has implications for how to tease out important ideological differences unfolding across the charter sector, as it relates to privatization, equity, and issues of power and control of teaching and learning in largely segregated and underserved Black/African American and Latino/a communities.Alison Fox ResnickPaula Arce-Trigatti, Ph.D. is the director of the National Network of Education Research-Practice Partnerships (NNERPP), a professional learning organization for education RPPs, launched in 2016 at the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University. In this role, she organizes and coordinates several learning opportunities for members across the Network and the RPP field at-large to improve both our theoretical understanding of partnerships and how they actually work in practice.Paula Arce-TrigattiAlison Fox Resnick, Ph.D., is a research associate with the National Center for Research in Policy and Practice at the School of Education at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Her research investigates the design and implementation of systems, roles, and tools to support the necessary learning involved in equity-centered transformation of educational practice.Sarah DuranSarah Duran is Founder and CEO of Fruition Initiatives, and an operational expert who has spent over a decade helping people and organizations turn their ideas into action. She is a project strategist who works with a variety of organizations including nonprofits, universities, start-ups, and for-profit companies. She helps researchers, entrepreneurs, and companies take charge of their work with smart strategy and efficient execution.