Overview

This book reveals the complex and crucial work of sustaining justice-focused educational systems change in the face of subtle resistance and outright attacks. Scholars and practitioners, who have worked together in various capacities across different school systems, examine systemic equity leadership in U.S. public schools over the course of nearly a decade and across a time of profound racial and historical change. This volume weaves together real-world insights, research-based strategies, and practical tools for transforming P–12 education systems into more equitable and just learning spaces. Contributors explore the early days of district equity leadership sparked by the Obama administration's focus on civil rights in education; Black Lives Matter (beginning with the Million Hoodies Movement for Justice); the proliferation of formal equity director roles, policies, and priorities; and the recent politically driven anti-DEI backlash. This book is important reading for school leaders, district personnel, policymakers, and everyone who cares about a public education that works for all students. Book Features: Provides bird's-eye and on-the-ground accounts of equity leadership to address broad questions and map invisible trends that have influenced how equity leadership happens. Explores approaches to district-wide equity leadership that emerged on the heels of Trayvon Martin's death, in what we now understand as the era of Black Lives Matter. Uses a frame of mornings, middays, and evenings to account for the cyclical nature of equity leadership and the limits and possibilities of working from within school systems to affect transformative change. Goes beyond the experience of any one school leader or team by illuminating organizational conditions, routines, networks, and practices. Includes insights on establishing district equity offices and institutionalizing equitable processes; using data to influence change and create accountability; and designing formal and informal networks that support the day-to-day work.

Full Product Details

Author:   Decoteau J. Irby ,  Ann M. Ishimaru ,  Keisha Scarlett ,  Megan Bang
Publisher:   Teachers' College Press
Imprint:   Teachers' College Press
Dimensions:   Width: 16.20cm , Height: 1.40cm , Length: 23.50cm
ISBN:  

9780807787496

ISBN 10:   0807787493
Pages:   208
Publication Date:   26 September 2025
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Contents Acknowledgments  vii Introduction: Wake Up Decoteau J. Irby and Ann M. Ishimaru  1 Part I: Morning Work 1.  Beyond Visions and Missions: Navigating Resistance to LGBTQIA Protections in Schools  13 Latish Reed 2.  Shocking the System: Black Women’s Equity Leadership in “Nice” White School Districts  29 Shannon Paige Clark 3.  Appreciating the Fruits of “Unsuccessful” Leadership: Looking Back to See(d) Forward  43 Decoteau J. Irby, Ann M. Ishimaru, and Terrance Green 4.  Reshaping the System: Paradoxes of Leading From Within Oppressive Organizations  64 Ann M. Ishimaru, Decoteau J. Irby, and Terrance Green Part II: Midday Work 5.  Marathons, Not Sprints: Institutionalizing Equity Through Organization-Wide Learning  83 Teresa Lance 6.  Designing Work Routines and Process(ing) Tools: An Infrastructure of Strategic Equity Leadership  99 Maurice Swinney and Decoteau J. Irby 7.  A National View of Equity Leadership Activities  114 Andrew Matschiner and Ishmael Miller Part III: Evening Work 8.  Sisterhood as Leadership Beyond the Central Office  133 Constance Daw, Fannie Martinez, and Ann M. Ishimaru 9.  Breathe and Rest: Designing Networks of Critical Care for Equity Leaders  148 Dayna Muñiz 10.  Holding Space, Holding On: Precarity and Turnover as a Feature of Equity Leadership Work  162 Ahreum Han and Decoteau J. Irby Conclusion: Dream  179 Ann M. Ishimaru and Decoteau J. Irby Afterword: Firesticks for Fretful Nights Keisha Scarlett  183 Index  187 About the Editors and Contributors  193

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Author Information

Decoteau J. Irby is professor of educational policy studies at the University of Illinois Chicago, codirector of the Center for Urban Education Leadership, and coeditor of Dignity-Affirming Education. Ann M. Ishimaru is the Killinger Endowed Chair and professor of educational foundations, leadership and policy at the University of Washington College of Education, and author of Just Schools: Building Equitable Collaborations with Families and Communities.

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