Imagine being at the helm of a massive school district, responsible for the lives and learning of thousands of students, yet feeling like you are steering a ship designed two centuries ago. We often talk about teachers and principals as the faces of education reform, but what about the superintendents—the individuals with the most systemic power, yet whose roles as levers for social change often go unexamined?

In this episode, we dive into research that uses narrative inquiry and Causal Layered Analysis (CLA) to peer into the inner worlds of seven school district leaders. The study explores how these superintendents perceive their own agency as advocates for equity and whether they can truly envision a future for public education that isn't just a slightly polished version of the past. It's a fascinating look at the tension between the 'pastness' of our current educational structures and the aspirational futures leaders hope to build.

We’ll unpack why even the most committed equity-minded leaders often struggle to think outside the box of current systemic constraints and how tools from futures studies might be the key to breaking the cycle of status-quo reforms.

Tune in as we explore how moving beyond the 'used futures' of education might finally allow us to create truly equitable systems for the students of tomorrow.

Ref:
Epps, Zabrina. School District Leaders as Agents of Equity and Public Education Futures. Journal of Futures Studies, 27(1), 2022, 93-108. ISSN 1027-6084. https://doi.org/10.6531/JFS.202209_27(I).0007