Working toward systemic change in education leadership: using research to create equitable collaborative practices

This qualitative case study critically examines how leadership at the Early Education Center, a university laboratory school affiliated with a midwestern university in the US, utilized research data to implement strategies to foster equity and stronger collaboration between educators and parents who identified as immigrants, refugees, asylees, and international students and scholars. Their ways of knowing and lived experiences were not reflected throughout the school community, and no parents in this group held leadership roles, which was concerning, given that the school had implemented a distributed leadership model. By implementing leadership practices informed by research, school leadership took the first steps toward creating a more equitable system of collaboration with these parents. This study undertakes a reflective examination of how these practices were or were not implemented in a systemic and equitable manner. Three strategies illustrate how the school has developed a deeper understanding of how to create more equitable and reciprocal relationships with all families. Research findings illustrate positive outcomes but also make visible instances in which school leadership fell short of their stated goals.