Negotiating Equity: A Critical Policy Analysis of Equity Sensemaking in District Partnership Initiatives
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| Title: | Negotiating Equity: A Critical Policy Analysis of Equity Sensemaking in District Partnership Initiatives |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Meghan Comstock (ORCID |
| Source: | Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. 2026 48(2):489-513. |
| Availability: | SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 25 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Partnerships in Education, Equal Education, School Districts, Educational Change, Educational Improvement, Organizations (Groups), Instructional Improvement, Educational Policy, Mathematics Instruction, English Instruction, Language Arts, Leaders, Administrator Attitudes, School Effectiveness |
| DOI: | 10.3102/01623737251336728 |
| ISSN: | 0162-3737 1935-1062 |
| Abstract: | In this study, I examine partnerships between districts and school improvement organizations (SIOs) focused on instructional reform, investigating how these partnerships conceptualize and negotiate equity in practice. Using a qualitative comparative case study design of nine district-SIO partnerships across the country, I find that partnerships' equity approaches in practice were related to how critically reflective they were as a partnership. Partnerships represented a spectrum of criticality that ranged from an emphasis on equality and standardization with limited interrogation of equity to an emphasis on oppression-combating approaches to equity and prioritization of critical reflection. The findings signal that in district-SIO partnerships, both ideas and individuals are powerful in shaping equity sensemaking and often impede more expansive ways of conceptualizing equity. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1506037 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | In this study, I examine partnerships between districts and school improvement organizations (SIOs) focused on instructional reform, investigating how these partnerships conceptualize and negotiate equity in practice. Using a qualitative comparative case study design of nine district-SIO partnerships across the country, I find that partnerships' equity approaches in practice were related to how critically reflective they were as a partnership. Partnerships represented a spectrum of criticality that ranged from an emphasis on equality and standardization with limited interrogation of equity to an emphasis on oppression-combating approaches to equity and prioritization of critical reflection. The findings signal that in district-SIO partnerships, both ideas and individuals are powerful in shaping equity sensemaking and often impede more expansive ways of conceptualizing equity. |
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| ISSN: | 0162-3737 1935-1062 |
| DOI: | 10.3102/01623737251336728 |
