Who We are is Who We were: Policy Moves that Shape a District

Abstract

ABSTRACT The purpose of this article is to provide the historical and sociopolitical context of an urban midwestern district, and track how the policy churn over time has been influenced by racism and white supremacy and continues to shape policymaking in the district. We use critical policy analysis to review historical documents, encompassing six decades, to interrogate how the district’s past policy moves inform their need and ability to pursue racial equity. We support our document analysis with semi-structured interviews with district leaders. Our findings demonstrate that a number of strategic moves, including school desegregation and the charter movement, have influenced the district’s racial equity focus. The study has implications for the participating district as well as other districts attempting lasting systemic change.