Contextualizing education reform: How urban school districts design equity-focused leadership pathways

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.33.8565

Keywords:

leadership, organizational cutlure, pipelines

Abstract

This paper explores the evolving landscape of K-12 education in the aftermath of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and the “racial awakening” following George Floyd's murder. Despite the return to in-person learning, persistent pre-pandemic barriers hinder academic opportunities, particularly for minoritized students. The study focuses on equitable educator practices and leadership models to address educational and opportunity gaps. Three large urban school districts in the United States serve as a case study, investigating how they design and implement equity-centered leadership pathways post-COVID-19. Exploring how the sociopolitical and cultural contexts' influence leadership pathway development and the experiences of principals of color are also examined. The paper uses organizational culture as a framework to analyze how leadership pathways function as levers for educational improvement. The findings underscore the importance of continued investment in initiatives that promote equity to combat persistent inequalities in education.

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Author Biographies

April Peters, University of Houston

April Peters 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 academic periodicals such 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.

Joshua Childs, University of Texas at Austin

Joshua Childs is an associate 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.

Ain Grooms, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Ain Grooms 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 emphasis on the retention of educators of color, the development of principal pipelines, and the implementation of computer science education policy.

Eligio Martinez Jr., California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Eligio Martinez is an associate 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.

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Published

2025-01-28

How to Cite

Peters, A., Childs, J., Grooms, A., & Martinez Jr., E. (2025). Contextualizing education reform: How urban school districts design equity-focused leadership pathways. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 33. https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.33.8565

Issue

Vol. 33 (2025)

Section

Transforming School Systems: Questions of Power, Resistance, Equity, and Community

License

Copyright (c) 2025 April Peters, Joshua Childs, Ain Grooms, Eligio Martinez Jr.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.