2025 Theses Doctoral

"I Care About Literacy as a Gateway to Everything": How District Leaders Conceptualize and Address Issues of Equity in the Context of Literacy Reform

Caracappa, Michele

The purpose of this study was to examine how district leaders conceptualize and address issues of equity in the context of their district’s literacy reform efforts. Participants included 10 district leaders of curriculum and instruction in mid- to large-sized urban school districts that were implementing Science of Reading-aligned literacy initiatives and espoused a commitment to equity. A qualitative research design and methodology were used to collect and analyze data from interviews, district strategic plans, and additional documents and artifacts.

Findings from this study indicated that while participants held a multidimensional view of equity (encompassing both dominant dimensions of equity as access and achievement, and critical dimensions of equity as identity and power [Gutierrez, 2012]), dominant dimensions predominated over critical ones in the context of their literacy reform efforts. As such, even as leaders reshaped district infrastructure in ways that sought to expand access and increase achievement for marginalized students, they were constrained in their efforts to address institutional barriers that impacted student literacy outcomes and experiences.

Findings from this study contribute to the literature on instructional improvement and equity-focused leadership and were used to produce a framework for equity-focused literacy improvement. This framework will support district leaders in enacting a multidimensional view of equity that advances reform along multiple axes, with the aim of leveraging the power of literacy as a “gateway” to opportunity and social transformation and delivering upon the promises of “literacy and justice for all,” often embraced by proponents of Science of Reading-aligned reform.