The term “equity” is used a lot in discussions about education; but despite the initiatives that aim to improve educational disparities, there aren’t a lot of equitable solutions produced, say today’s two guests, Decoteau J. Irby and Ann M. Ishimaru editors of Doing the Work of Equity Leadership for Justice and Systems Change. Their new book champions the vital work equity in P-12 education and those folks who are leading the way.
Amidst generalized attacks on public education and direct attacks on DEI by the federal government, making a case for equity seems more complicated than ever. Dr. Ishimaru says that it remains important to correct the ways that equity initiatives can do better to address where disparities are actually coming from. 
Dr. Irby discusses how to create systems change in a field that is dominated by white instructors who carry resistance to change. The authors in the collection document strong resistance to change by white instructors but say that doing the work of equity needs to move past trying to convince white teachers to love Black or LGBTQ children. Instead, educators can prioritize expanding access to advanced placement tests and making sure that all students have the chance to take the SAT, for example.
They also discuss the struggles they faced in their research, like not getting approval to speak with educators in certain districts in the Bible Belt, and how the idea that integration is synonymous with equity in education remains a pernicious assumption. Dr. Ishimaru says that we don’t have to think about equity in education as a zero-sum game, we can discuss student identity and academic achievement in tandem.

Dr. Ann M. Ishimaru is an award-winning scholar, writer, educator and the Killinger Endowed Chair and Professor of Educational Foundations, Leadership and Policy at the University of Washington College of Education. Through her work, she cultivates the leadership and solidarities of educators, organizational leaders and racially minoritized youth, families and communities to realize more transformative futures. In addition to many peer-reviewed articles in top-tier educational research journals, she is also the author of Just Schools: Building Equitable Collaborations with Families and Communities (Teachers College Press, 2020)
Decoteau J. Irby is a father, author, artist, and educator who works each and every day to advance education equity and justice for Black and Brown children and youth in community spaces, schools and districts, and higher education. His core philosophy is that when you improve learning conditions and opportunities through providing abundant resources and affirming support, children and young people’s aspirations, efforts, and high level academic performance will follow. A professor at the University of Illinois Chicago, he teaches in the College of Education’s top-ranked Urban Education Leadership program, co-directs the UIC Center for Urban Education Leadership, and leads the Brothers Teaching Initiative. He organizes Bronzeville’s Juneteenth Youth Baseball and Softball Tournament, tends community gardens, and advocates for vibrant public spaces on Chicago’s South Side. A self-taught guitarist, songwriter, and occasional performer, he has released three music projects under the name Decoteau Black, exploring Black love, struggle, and liberation.
Featured image of Doing the Work of Equity Leadership for Justice and Systems Change edited by Decoteau J. Irby and Ann M. Ishimaru.
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