Navigating Equity Through Governance: A Case Study of Micropolitical Equity Work Among School Board Trustees

ABSTRACT This study explores how trustees utilize their positions to create equitable conditions within a school district. Using a critical conceptual framework informed by policy analysis, I draw conclusions regarding the relationship between trustees’ understanding of equity and how they use power and influence at micro, meso and macro levels to affect policy. First, interviews were conducted with five retired trustees within a school district and with follow-up interviews with personnel identified by the trustees as knowing their work. Second, an analysis of policy statements and school board minutes was undertaken to examine the extent to which trustees’ understanding of equity influenced school board direction and impacted equity outcomes. Third, after all the data were collected, themes were identified for analysis and coding. The resulting thesis examines the way school district leadership functions in regards to equity. Findings indicate that with the reduction of positional power within their role, trustees are utilizing personal influence in order to affect change. This study examines the impact of this power shift in relation to the following areas: trustee and equitable hiring practices; the role of trustees in policy development; and the ability of trustees to act as a representative for their constituents in a racially and culturally diverse school board. As a result of this shift to using influence rather than the authority of their position, equitable outcomes were related to individual trustee longevity in the role, their personal preconceptions and the amount of cultural diversity within the board of trustees. This study also identifies ways in which those who seek organizational change encounter resistance.Ed.D