District Science Coordinators' Conceptions of and Levers for Advancing Equity Agendas at the Elementary Level

ABSTRACT Equity is a core feature of science education reform initiatives in the United States, but there is not an agreed‐upon definition of what equity is, resulting in different approaches for the benefit (and exclusion) of different groups. School district leaders, including district science coordinators (DSCs), play many important roles in implementing educational reform efforts, including with regard to equity. For this qualitative case study, we analyzed interview and observational data gathered from 13 DSCs located in school districts across the U.S. of varying sizes and geographic locations to better understand how DSCs understand and advance equity agendas in elementary science from their leadership positions. We found that while most DSCs held conceptions of equity as opportunity and engaged equity‐focused leadership practice to promote this, there was variability. Though many DSCs relied on the district's curriculum materials to enact equity, some DSCs envisioned their role more broadly in the promotion of equity. Finally, though many DSCs conflated equity with equality, some DSCs resisted this prevailing norm to practice equity in more critical ways. Implications from this paper include the importance of DSCs constructing their roles as broader than provisioning curriculum materials and professional development when it comes to promoting equity in the district, and the important role that a diversity, equity, and inclusion department or leader can play in supporting a DSC's equity work.