Using an equity audit investigation to prepare doctoral students for social justice leadership

The Hidden Curriculum

“…Furthermore, Skrla et al (2004) recommended the following steps for using equity audits as part of a change process: creating a committee of stakeholders, presenting the data to the committee for them to graph, discussing the meaning of the data (possible use of experts, led by a facilitator), implementing solution(s), monitoring and evaluating results, and celebrating if successful. The equity audit as described by Skrla and colleagues (2004) and Scheurich and Skrla (2003) targets school-based data and data-driven change and has been provided to educational leadership students as a tool for translating social justice leadership theory into practice (Harris & Hopson, 2008). Although equity audits typically focus on K-12 schools or districts, McKinney and Capper (2010) utilized equity audits when conducting a case study of a graduate counseling education program's preparation that included the selection process.…”

Principals leading for social justice in predominantly white suburban schools

“…Barbara's district had previously conducted an equity audit, which was reported by her colleague Dawn as the entry point for the district to publicly engage in the work needed to create more equitable spaces. This finding provides additional support to the effectiveness of equity audits being used by individual leaders (Dodman et al, 2019;Harris & Hopson, 2008;Groenke, 2010;Palmer et al, 2009) and adds to the growing findings that principals leading for social justice work to address institutional oppression in collaboration with the district (Wilkerson & Wilson, 2017;Welton, Diem, & Holme, 2015;Shields & Hesbol, 2020).…”

“…Educational leaders must not continue to engage in practices that have resulted in institutional oppression. Instead, educational leaders must question the status quo and lead to transform our schools (Rusch & Horsford, 2008;Harris & Hopson, 2008;Moos, 2010;Khalifa, 2011;Skrla & Scheurich, 2001).…”

“…Equity audits are historically rooted in the civil rights movement, curriculum audits, and accountability measures (Skrla et al, 2004). Equity audits are specific, practical tools for leaders to assess systemic inequities and plan for future change (Brown, 2010;Skrla, McKenzie, and Scheurich, 2009;Harris & Hopson, 2008;Scheurich & Skrla, 2003;Frattura & Capper, 2007). Furthermore, Brown (2010) identified that equity audits might be an effective tool to help expose inequities in higher-performing districts.…”

“…The research on equity audits describes it as a tool for critical, data-based decision-making (Dodman et al, 2019) that leaders can use collaboratively with stakeholders (Skrla et al, 2004). Much of the previously conducted research on equity audits explores conducting equity audits in the context of higher education, specifically in educator and leader preparation courses (Dodman et al, 2019;Harris & Hopson, 2008;Groenke, 2010;Palmer et al, 2019). It needs to be clarified, and beyond the scope of this study, if equity audits being conducted by outside consultants are effective at highlighting inequities and assisting districts with moving forward.…”