LEADING FOR EQUITY: PERCEPTIONS OF HOW SCHOOL DISTRICTS BUILD THE CAPACITY OF EQUITY-DRIVEN, LEARNING-CENTERED DISTRICT LEADERS

Expectations regarding leadership practices are changing and evolving as the expectations for school leaders and, thus, central office leaders, to lead and support the creation of equitable outcomes for all students. School systems are recognizing methods to acquire and strengthen a critical lens for identifying the inequities within their school systems so that they can tackle barriers to advancement and root causes more directly (Cheatham et al., 2020). Central office leaders should exemplify specific critical roles for school reform (Rorrer et al., 2008). For this phenomenological study, six equity officers from five urban districts were interviewed about their perceptions of how they define equity-driven central office leadership and their perception of the skills needed for central office leaders to actualize their definition of equity-driven central office leadership and to also reflect upon their roles as equity officers. Districts may benefit from learning more about the practical core skills, behaviors, and comprehensive leadership development practices to develop equity-driven central office leaders who impact equitable outcomes for students. The findings indicate that when equity officers have support from the district, including time, financial resources, and access to school leaders, they believe they can have a more significant impact on schools and leaders.